Dzūkija border guards thwarted the smugglers’ attempts to bring smokers to Lithuania
According to the State Border Guard Service, on Sunday morning, the border guards of the Kapčiamiestis firewall together with their colleagues from the criminal intelligence unit near the village of Šventijos in Druskininkai municipality found four bundles covered with black polyethylene film. Attached to them were self-made braces used by smugglers to carry illegal goods more conveniently.
SBGS officials already had information that smuggling was planned in this area, where the Nemunas River flows a few tens of meters away, and it was then decided to hold an ambush. A 34-year-old resident of Druskininkai municipality got into it on Sunday afternoon. The border guards grabbed the smoker’s transport just at the moment when he put it on his shoulders and was already preparing to transport it to the depths of Lithuania. It turned out that there were 4,000 packets of Fest cigarettes in the bundle with Belarusian stamps.
Due to the illegal disposal of excise goods, an additional tax investigation was initiated in the Varėna border team of the SBGS. After the interrogation, the man was released. The remand in custody is a written undertaking not to leave. Cigarettes are temporarily stored at the Kapčiamiestis firewall.
On Saturday, a 23-year-old resident of Druskininkai municipality was stuck with the same firewall at the border guard at the village of Menciškės in Lazdijai district municipality. He carried 2 thousand. packs of Belarusian cigarettes Minsk Capital MS. A 20-year-old associate living in Druskininkai municipality was arrested and believed to have been carried there. He handed out an invalid identity book to the border guards. The smoker will have to be held administratively liable for the transport of excisable goods in violation of the established procedure, and his accomplice – for the violation of the legal acts regulating the border legal regime.
The border guards of the Druskininkai firewall also detained the violators in analogous circumstances. Two residents of Druskininkai municipality, 25 and 30 years old, were caught by SBGS officers late on Friday evening near Gerdašiai village, half a hundred meters from the Nemunas. A younger offender caught on the shoulders with a bundle of cigarettes immediately obeyed the border guards’ request to stop. His accomplice was still trying to hide, but was arrested after the first word of warning. A fine of EUR 500 was imposed on a resident of Druskininkai who failed to comply with the lawful instructions of the officials.
In the bundle found 2 thousand. packs of Belarus-made cigarettes. The man who smoked the cigarette will also have to answer administratively. As this Druskininkai resident has already been punished for a similar violation before, he is now facing a fine of 5 thousand. 760 to 6 thousand. euros.
Smugglers of two more cigarettes lost responsibility for the Druskininkai border barrier.
Border guards wrapped in polyethylene film and KASP soldiers who assisted them found it on Sunday morning at the village of Latežeris, about a kilometer from the border with Belarus. They had a total of 1 thousand. 950 packets of cigarettes Minsk Capital MS. Officials who inspected the site did not find any more suspicious objects or persons.
During the night from Sunday to Monday, smugglers from Belarusian cigarettes tried to sail to Lithuania via the Nemunas. The two border guards of the Druskininkai firewall initially monitored stationary video equipment in the territory of the neighboring state, and later captured a rectangular object carrying the current in the river.
There is no doubt that these are smuggled cigarettes. They were pulled out of the water by SBGS officers in a service boat. It turned out that an attempt was made to bring 2 thousand people to Lithuania. packages of Minsk Capital brand smokers marked with Belarusian stamps.
A total of 11,000 officers of the SBGS Varėna border team barracks were detained during the weekend. 950 packs of smuggled cigarettes. This amount of smokers, including all mandatory taxes, is worth more than $ 40,000. euros.