VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuanian authorities said Tuesday they have arrested 21 people suspected of being linked to a criminal network that smuggled cigarettes using specially equipped weather balloons from Russia’s ally Belarus that have violated the Baltic nation’s airspace in recent weeks.
The Lithuanian Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement that investigators conducted more than 80 searches and seized items such as cigarettes, SIM cards, communication and tracking signal jammers, and firearms bearing Belarusian excise tax stamps. Luxury cars and valuable property were also confiscated.
Lithuania declared a state of emergency earlier this month due to security risks posed by weather balloons launched from Belarus.
The balloons have forced Lithuania to close its main airport multiple times, stranding thousands of people and closing border crossings between the two countries, while Europe remains wary of incursions into NATO airspace during the war in Ukraine.
Tuesday’s operation involved more than 140 officers from the Lithuanian Criminal Police, Vilnius Police and the Special Anti-Terrorism Unit.
The prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the network was “characterized by a very strict conspiracy and allocation of roles, and carried out systematic and coordinated cigarette smuggling under the strict control of its organizers (leaders) and their trustees”.
Prosecutors claimed that “the organizers may have direct links with accomplices operating in the Republic of Belarus, from where balloons containing smuggled cigarettes were launched during favorable weather conditions.”
“Utilizing tracking (GPS) equipment and appropriate procedures, the movement of the balloon is monitored and the exact coordinates of its landing in Lithuania are transmitted to the executors,” the prosecutor said. “After the latter collects the contraband, it must be transported to a pre-agreed location or handed over to other persons involved in the crime.”
Lithuanian authorities said all 21 suspects will face charges of participating in a criminal organization, illegally handling and smuggling consumer goods, and assisting other countries in operations against Lithuania.
