Law enforcement authorities have detained 27 people, including 13 officials, in an investigation into a large-scale cigarette smuggling operation using weather balloons.
"This part of the operation was also directed against corruption [...] and related individuals. A total of 27 people were detained this week; 13 of those detained are not only police officers, but also officers from the State Border Guard Service (VSAT)," Deputy Police Commissioner General Marius Draudvila said on Friday.Draudvila said the law enforcement operation targeted organised groups "acting cynically against the national, economic, and security interests of the Republic of Lithuania", posing a danger and threat to civil aviation, public safety, and infrastructure.According to the official, the criminal groups operated in an organised manner, using GPS equipment and encrypted communication tools to precisely track where weather balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes had landed. The cargo was subsequently collected and sold.Police said 74 searches were conducted during the operations, involving more than 100 officers. Thermal imagers, drones, GPS transmitters, radio stations, SIM cards, face masks, and cigarette packaging materials were seized during the raids.
