VILNIUS - Frontier guards
of the State Border Guard Service of northern Lithuanian city Siauliai detained a drug courier in the Joniskis
district with the help of Latvian colleagues, who was carrying 3 kilos of
amphetamine in a hiding within his car.
The State Border Guard Service said this is the biggest
amount of amphetamine detained by the border guards.
Border guard officers were informed of a possible attempt to transport a hefty amount
of contraband drug cargo out of Lithuania.
A border guard crew was sent to the Kalviai - Meitene border check-point
territory immediately, with a State Border Guard Service squad also prepared
for a detaining operation. Latvian border guards with a drug-sniffing dogs as
well as customs officers were also employed in the operation.
A suspicious BMW 525 automobile was stopped at the Joniskis pike upon entering
Latvian territory. The driver, 45-year-old Latvian citizen, immediately pulled
over, as requested by uniformed border guard officers and presented his
documents.
A State Border Guard Service squad as well as their Latvian colleagues conducted
a detailed search in the vehicle. The detection dog revealed with his behavior
the possibility of suspicious cargo behind the front bumper of the car. A
factory made cavity was found behind a car part designed for attaching halogen
lights. Officers found three stiff, foil and duct taped wrapped packages, of a
total weight of approximately three kilos.
White powder was found inside the packages, which, according to preliminary
data was identified as amphetamine. The estimated price of the carried amount
is 120,000 litas (EUR 348,000).
The drugs where packed inside plastic bags and covered in a layer of coffee, so
as to mislead the detection dog.
When sold in small doses in the black market, amphetamine is mixed with various
other substances: pain-killers, caffeine, soda powder. Drug dealers can then
increase the weight of a dose, reducing the amount of pure amphetamine.
A pre-trial investigation over trafficking of illegal drugs was launched in the
Siauliai unit
of the State Border Guard Service. The Latvian citizen has been detained for a
two day period.
Officers of the Siauliai
unit will address the court Friday asking to keep the man in custody for a
longer period.
This is the second Latvian citizen detained this week in Lithuania for
trafficking drugs.
A Latvian citizen was busted Wednesday for possession of almost 2 kilos of
amphetamines in his automobile in Marijampole, southwestern Lithuania.
He was put into custody together with two Marijampole locals.
A pretrial investigation is in the works in the Marijampole police department
over illegal possession of a very large amount of narcotic or psychotropic
substances. According to legislation, violators face 10 to 15 years in prison.
