Unconditional imprisonment for cigarette smuggling using weather balloons across border
A court sentenced three Poles for involvement in the smuggling of 11,500 packets of cigarettes using meteorological balloons across the border with Belarus. The main organiser received 2.5 years in prison.
Unconditional imprisonment for cigarette smuggling using weather balloons across border
A court announced verdicts in the case of three men accused of illegal transportation of tobacco across the border. The heaviest sentence – 30 months of unconditional imprisonment – was handed down to one of the suspects. The other two convicted men received suspended prison sentences. All of them were additionally issued substantial financial fines.
The arrest of the offenders took place in October of the previous year in the territory of Kuźnica municipality in Podlaskie Voivodeship. At that time, Border Guard and Police officers working together apprehended two of the three men ultimately accused.
During searches conducted in the homes of those arrested, officers secured mobile phones, SIM cards and specialist equipment for locating balloons released into the air.
The investigation covered the period from September 2024 to April 2025. During this time, the group smuggled a total of eleven and a half thousand packets of cigarettes. The entire case was handled by the Border Guard Post in Kuźnica under the supervision of the District Prosecutor's Office in Białystok.
Source: Podlaskie Border Guard Unit
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)