Border guards in Volyn Oblast have found a package of Belarusian cigarettes that smugglers may have been attempting to send to EU countries using a balloon.

Source: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

Quote: "Yesterday, servicemen from one of the border units of the Volyn Border Detachment in the Shatsk area found a package of tobacco products which offenders had likely planned to transport to EU countries using a balloon. The find was discovered near the Ukrainian-Belarusian border."

Details: The package was wrapped in black plastic film and had a rope attached with remnants of a balloon.

Inside were 1,500 packs of cigarettes bearing excise stamps of the Republic of Belarus, as well as two GPS devices: one with a SIM card from a Belarusian mobile operator and the other with a SIM card from an operator of the Republic of Poland.

"Taking into account the labelling of the tobacco products, the method of their delivery and the presence of the specified GPS devices, the balloon carrying illegal cargo of Belarusian origin was likely heading towards Poland," the border guards said.

The contraband goods were seized in accordance with established procedure. The estimated value of the seized cigarettes is about UAH 90,000 (about US$2,130).

Background:

• Poland and Lithuania have recorded crossings of their borders by balloons carrying Belarusian contraband.
• In November alone, two contraband balloons with cigarettes without Polish excise stamps were discovered in Poland's Podlaskie Voivodeship.
• On the morning of 9 December, the Lithuanian government declared a state of emergency in the country due to contraband weather balloons from Belarus.

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