Lithuanian border guards seize nearly 13,000 packages of contraband cigarettes in Vilnius
Lithuanian officials in the capital secured more than 12,800 cigarette packages, valued at approximately 70,000 euros. A 62-year-old Vilnius resident was detained.
Lithuanian border guards seize nearly 13,000 packages of contraband cigarettes in Vilnius
Officials of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (VSAT) have dismantled a large cache of illegal cigarettes in Vilnius. During an inspection of private property in Paupiai, 12,821 packages of tobacco products bearing ten different trademarks were discovered. The seized cargo was valued at nearly 70,000 euros including taxes.
The operation was carried out on Friday evening following information received from Latvian authorities. Officers from Vilnius border guard unit's criminal intelligence and investigation department inspected a house, outbuildings, and a cargo vehicle "Fiat Doblo" bearing Lithuanian registration plates.
Fewer than half of the seized packages bore no excise stamps whatsoever. The remaining products were marked with Belarusian banderoles. According to LRT, investigators do not rule out the possibility that some of the cigarettes may have been manufactured in illegal factories operating in Latvia.
A 62-year-old resident of the capital was detained in connection with the offence. The man was questioned and released on condition that he remain within the country and surrender his documents. The preliminary investigation is overseen by a prosecutor from the Second Criminal Prosecution Division of the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor's Office. For unlawful possession of excisable goods exceeding the statutory limit, a fine or imprisonment of up to eight years is threatened.
The seized cigarettes remain in border guard storage.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)