A Lithuanian man, convicted of collecting cigarettes smuggled across the border from Belarus by balloon told the court he had been driven by the desire for extra income and a better life. He kept his plans from his wife, telling her that night that he was going fishing.
Zbignevas is one of a few smugglers, who heard a verdict read against them in a Lithuanian court in recent months. In late April, a district court in the Vilnius region fined the man €6,700.
Met at a kebab shop
According to the verdict, dated April 24, 2026, Zbignevas met his accomplice at a kebab restaurant in Jašiūnai, in the Šalčininkai district of southern Lithuania, near the Belarusian border.
"While waiting for his order, he got talking in the car park with an unknown man of around 40 who said he was from Belarus and offered him the opportunity to earn money by transporting cigarettes," the document states.
