A local resident was caught by border guards in the Alytus district transporting 1,500 packs of Belarusian cigarettes by car. Almost twice as many illegal cigarettes were found during searches at the Alytus resident’s home. The man has been detained, facing a fine or imprisonment for up to four years.
On Wednesday afternoon, officers of the VSAT Varėna Border Unit stopped a Ford Mondeo car with Lithuanian license plates in the Alytus district for inspection. It was driven by a 49-year-old resident of the Alytus district.
Three cardboard boxes with the logo of the tobacco factory from Grodno (Belarus) were found in the car’s trunk. The boxes contained 1,500 packs of “Minsk Capital QS” and “NZ Gold” cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps.
Continuing procedural actions, border guards conducted searches at the detained man’s residences in the Alytus district and city. There, another 1,387 packs of various types of cigarettes were found, some without any excise marks.
In total, VSAT officers found 2,887 packs of illegal cigarettes, valued at 15,532 euros including all mandatory taxes payable in Lithuania.
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A pre-trial investigation has been launched at the VSAT Varėna Border Unit for illegal handling of excise goods, led by a prosecutor from the 2nd Criminal Prosecution Division of the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Such criminal activity is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to four years under the law.
The detainee was placed in custody. On Thursday, after questioning, he was released with a preventive measure – a written promise not to leave.
The illegal cigarettes and the Ford Mondeo car are temporarily held at the VSAT Varėna Border Unit.
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