In January-March, border guards intercepted 1,633,000,963 packs of smuggled cigarettes in Lithuania, which is almost four times more than in the same period last year, when 435,834 packs were intercepted, and five times more than in the first quarter of 2020, when 332,371 packets were intercepted, the statement reads.
Smugglers are increasingly using border waterways, the SBGS notes, and also the use of drones has increased recently. Moreover, the amount of smuggled cigarettes transported by freight trains from Belarus and intercepted by border guards has increased this year.
99 percent of smuggled cigarettes seized by border guards in Lithuania come directly from Belarus as the Russian border has not been popular for such operations lately.
According to the SBGS, several factors are behind the smuggling of cigarettes from Belarus to Lithuania. One of them is the significant difference in the prices of tobacco products in Lithuania and Belarus. Also, the Belarusian regime supports this shady activity as the surplus production of the Neman production facility is diverted to the illicit market, border guards say.
Belarusian tobacco factories continue to maintain high production volumes and they are likely to increase further following the introduction of sanctions for this country, border guards say, adding that smuggling volumes are not expected to go down.