Lithuanian law enforcement authorities have identified 28 suspects in a pretrial investigation into cigarette smuggling using balloons from Belarus, including five alleged ringleaders, officials said Wednesday.
“At this stage of the investigation, there are 28 suspects,” Artūras Urbelis, chief prosecutor at the Organised Crime and Corruption Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, told reporters in Vilnius.
Urbelis said five of the suspects are believed to have led the smuggling operation on the Lithuanian side. He described the alleged ringleaders as residents of the Šalčininkai district of mature age with prior criminal records, including convictions for smuggling or illegal possession of excise goods.
The suspects were detained Tuesday during a large-scale law enforcement operation. Prosecutors have asked the court to issue arrest warrants, Urbelis said.
Saulius Briginas, deputy head of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, said the suspects allegedly recruited individuals to organise cigarette smuggling by balloon from Belarus and coordinated the activity with criminal groups operating in the neighbouring country.
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