In the Šalčininkai district, border guards found a crashed smuggler’s drone with cigarettes, reports VSAT.
Late Sunday evening, in the operational area of the Purvėnai border post of the Varėna border unit of VSAT, within the boundaries of Tausiūnai village (Šalčininkai district municipality, Eišiškės eldership), the border guard heard a sound characteristic of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The border guards used a drone jamming device.
Using the video surveillance system, it was observed how the drone flew from the interior of Lithuania towards the state border and soon disappeared from the surveillance zone.
On Monday, during daylight hours, while re-examining the area within the boundaries of Joniškis village (Šalčininkai district, Eišiškės eldership), VSAT officers found a crashed broken drone and one bundle wrapped in transparent polyethylene film.
Upon inspecting the cargo, it turned out to contain 500 packs of “Minsk 5 Superslims” cigarettes, marked with Belarusian excise stamps.
No more items or persons related to this incident were found while inspecting the area.
The found cigarettes and broken drone were delivered to the Purvėnai border post for temporary storage. The value of the seized tobacco products in Lithuania, including all mandatory taxes, amounts to 2,755 euros.
An administrative case was initiated for illegal possession and transportation of excise goods under Article 209, Part 7 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Lithuania. Such a violation carries a fine ranging from 5,200 to 6,000 euros.
In the first five months of 2026, border guards grounded 21 smuggler drones.
Last year, VSAT officers seized 59 drones that flew in from Belarus throughout the year. In 2024, 54 drones with Belarusian cigarettes were seized.
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