Border guards took over a drone from Belarus which was smuggling cigarettes
Last Thursday evening, the officers of the Varėna border team of the SBGS captured a drone that had entered the territory of Lithuania at a low altitude with a portable night vision device near the village of Geismantai, Šalčininkai district. It was also noticed that a load was attached to it.
The border patrols immediately prepared the unmanned aerial vehicle deterrent equipment for use and called for reinforcements – colleagues, who also had a device to take over the drones.
Two SBGS crews managed to block an attempt to smuggle by air. The plane, which was affected by the equipment, dropped cargo, reversed the flight and was soon landed about two kilometers from the border with Belarus.
It turned out that two bundles with a total of 1,000 were attached to the DIY drone. pack of cigarettes “NZ Gold” with Belarusian stamps.
Border guards investigating the incident have initiated administrative proceedings for violating the established procedure in connection with the movement of excisable goods. The person who controlled the drone was not found. The unmanned aircraft and cigarettes are stored at the Varvėnai firewall of the Varėna border team.
This is the second time this year that an unmanned aircraft has been used to transport smuggled cigarettes in the area of responsibility of the said firewall. A similar attempt to fly illegal cargo by air was blocked by Purvėnai border guards in the first half of January. This time, almost 800 packs of cigarettes were transported by a self-made drone.
Last year, officers of the Varėna border team of the SBGS guarding the south-eastern part of the Lithuanian border with Belarus landed 12 smugglers’ drones. Nine such devices were taken over in the territory of Lithuania, and three more unmanned aircraft were killed in Belarus when they were affected by the barrier equipment used by the border guards.
