Lithuanian customs seize 2.1 million euro cigarette shipment from Latvia

Lithuanian customs investigators intercepted a significant contraband operation near Kaunas, seizing a truck laden with cigarettes worth an estimated 2.1 million euros. The vehicle, a DAF truck with Latvian license plates, was stopped on Friday, August 7, in the Babtai district.

Customs officers became suspicious of the cargo and, upon inspection, discovered that while the rear of the trailer was declared to contain styrofoam for a Lithuanian company, the majority of the space was filled with boxes of "Winston" and "Minsk Superslims" cigarettes. Investigators suspect these were produced in an illicit factory operating in Latvia.

The truck driver, a citizen of Latvia, was apprehended at the scene. He initially claimed to be transporting styrofoam but was found with approximately 412,000 packs of contraband cigarettes. The driver has since been detained for two months by court order as the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor's Office leads the investigation into the illegal possession of excise goods.

This seizure marks the second major cigarette bust involving vehicles entering Lithuania from Latvia within two weeks. Previously, on July 30, officers near Kryžkalnis intercepted a vehicle carrying cigarettes valued at 2.4 million euros. So far this year, Lithuanian customs officials have confiscated around 2.6 million packs of illegal cigarettes, primarily imported from Latvia, with a total tax value of approximately 13 million euros.