Late on Sunday evening, officers of the Purvėnai border post of the VSAT Varėna border unit, patrolling the border section near the village of Ūta (Šalčininkai district), heard a sound coming from the Belarusian side. Such sounds are usually made by flying drones. The border guards immediately used service anti-drone equipment in the direction of the sound and blocked the surrounding area.
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Soon, a VSAT officer saw the drone through binoculars. Affected by the anti-drone system, the unmanned aerial vehicle with cargo turned around, started flying towards the state border, and soon disappeared from sight. It turned out that the smugglers’ drone crashed to the ground.
Less than an hour later, another border patrol inspecting the violation area in a meadow near the village of Versekėlė (Šalčininkai district), 500 m from the state border, found a drone with an attached package. Its propellers and supporting structures were broken from the impact with the ground. According to the border guards who examined the find, after the “accident,” this smugglers’ drone no longer has even a theoretical chance to take off.
The package wrapped in green polyethylene film contained 200 packs of “Minsk Superslims” cigarettes with Belarusian tax stamps and a GPS device. The value of these illegal tobacco products with taxes is 1,102 euros.
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An administrative case has been initiated at the Purvėnai border post for the acquisition and transport of excise goods in violation of the established procedure.
The smugglers’ drone and cigarettes are temporarily stored at this border post.
This year, over eight and a half months, border guards have grounded 56 smugglers’ drones.
Last year, VSAT officers intercepted 59 drones flying in from Belarus throughout the year. In 2024, 54 drones with Belarusian cigarettes were grounded.
