Lithuania intercepts truck arriving from Latvia, carrying illicit cigarettes worth over EUR 2 million

VILNIUS - Lithuanian customs officers have intercepted a truck near Kaunas carrying illicit cigarettes worth more than 2 million euros.

The service said on Wednesday that this was the second vehicle arriving from Latvia with such cargo seized within a fortnight. On July 30, another vehicle was stopped near Kryzkalnis with cigarettes worth 2.4 million euros.

A mobile patrol from the Kaunas branch of the Customs Criminal Service spotted the suspicious DAF truck with Latvian registration plates at approximately 12 p.m. on Friday, August 7, in the Babtai area. The driver, a Latvian national, had pulled over at a bus stop. Passing customs officers stopped to inspect the cargo.

The driver initially claimed to be transporting foam plastic for a Lithuanian company, but the declared goods occupied only the rear of the semi-trailer. The rest of the space was filled with boxes of "Winston" and "Minsk Superslims" cigarettes. Officers suspect the tobacco products were manufactured at an illegal factory operating in Latvia for several years.

In total, approximately 412,000 packs of cigarettes were found in the trailer, with a market value, including taxes, of 2.1 million euros.

A pre-trial investigation into the illegal possession of excise goods has been launched, led by prosecutors from the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor's Office.

The driver was detained and subsequently remanded in custody for two months by order of a Kaunas District Court.

This year, Customs Criminal Service officers have seized approximately 2.6 million packs of illegal cigarettes, mostly arriving from Latvia. Their total value, including mandatory taxes, is estimated at 13 million euros.