Lithuanian border guards have intercepted a weather balloon launched from Belarus that smugglers were using to transport 750 packs of cigarettes, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported on Tuesday.
The 3-meter latex balloon was spotted on Sunday by Lithuanian border guards near the village of Katra in southern Varėna District, close to the border with Belarus. Attached to it was a polythene-wrapped cargo of 750 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps.
The balloon also had a GPS transmitter so that accomplices in Lithuania could locate the exact location of the cargo.
Specialists from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service says the intercepted balloon looks like helium or hydrogen-filled meteorological balloons they themselves use.
According to the VSAT says, transporting contraband across the border by balloons is not as popular as using drones and requires specialist knowledge as well as favourable weather. Only two smuggling by balloon attempts have been reported this year.
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