photo VRM © Lithuanian Ministry of Internal Affairs In one of the balls, the police found 1,500 packs of “NZ Gold” cigarettes.
A balloon transporting illicit cigarettes landed in downtown Vilnius. The individual who came to collect the merchandise injured a law enforcement officer and escaped, LRT indicates , referencing the Lithuanian Police Department.
It is reported that this event transpired on Tuesday, January 27. At 8:00 p.m., law enforcement received a notification that a weather balloon, presumably holding contraband cigarettes, had descended on Careyview Street, in proximity to the river.
Sixty minutes later, a Mercedes Benz ML350 4MATIC vehicle approached the located package. The man exiting the car advanced toward the cargo, but, upon noticing the police, retreated.
“While fleeing the scene, the vehicle struck a uniformed officer of the Vilnius County Police, born in 2000. The police officer did not require medical assistance,” the publication states.
At the location, police discovered 1,500 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps.
Moreover, flight limitations were enforced at Vilnius Airport last night owing to the hazard presented by smuggled balloons originating from Belarus. Subsequent to the services detecting navigational markers typical of weather balloon flights, the airspace above the airport was briefly shut down.
As a consequence of the restrictions, several flights experienced delays, and multiple aircraft were rerouted to Riga and Kaunas. Altogether, the alterations impacted approximately 700 travelers.
As a reminder, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginenė conveyed that the nation will commence intercepting smuggled balloons traversing the border with Belarus, which have repeatedly violated Lithuanian airspace. In addition, the Prime Minister articulated that the country does not preclude the option of contacting NATO with a solicitation for consultations under Article 4, which permits countries to convene NATO discussions “whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened.”