On Sunday, several meteorological balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes and originating from Belarus were detected in Latvia, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) said in an interview with TV3’s “900 Seconds”.
He explained that, unlike in Lithuania, the situation in Latvia does not pose a serious threat to critical infrastructure, as there are no airports near the border. However, when the illegal cigarette cargo falls, its weight can cause local damage.
From yesterday until this morning, Latvian interior services have managed to intercept seven balloons carrying contraband from Belarus. Each cargo typically contains around 60,000 illegal cigarettes. “Work is still ongoing, and the quantities are being clarified, but such a phenomenon exists,” Kozlovskis said.
The minister urged residents who see such balloons near the border not to wait for them to land and not to attempt to shoot them down. Instead, they should report them to the responsible services so the crime can be prevented safely and effectively, ensuring that the contraband does not enter Latvia’s illegal market.
Kozlovskis added that
Latvian interior services are working closely with their Lithuanian and Polish counterparts,
and there have been several exchange-of-experience meetings on how to counter this meteorological-balloon phenomenon.
As previously reported by LETA, meteorological balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes have been detected in Latvia before. On the 7th of October, a meteorological balloon carrying 30,000 Belarusian-duty-stamped cigarettes was found in Krāslava Municipality. On the 3rd of October, law enforcement officers discovered a balloon carrying 28,760 Belarusian cigarettes in the border area of Augšdaugava Municipality.
On the 8th of September, border guards in Augšdaugava Municipality detected two meteorological balloons carrying 60,000 Belarusian cigarettes. In May, border guards in Ludza Municipality also found a balloon loaded with smuggled cigarettes.
It has already been reported that in recent months, meteorological balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes from Belarus have caused serious disruptions to airport operations in Lithuania. Due to the civil aviation risks posed by these balloons, Vilnius Airport has had to be closed multiple times.
Because Lithuania saw no willingness from Minsk to resolve the situation, it was decided at the end of October to close the remaining two border checkpoints with Belarus for a month. However, on Wednesday, the Lithuanian government decided to reopen the Medininkai and Šalčininkai border checkpoints earlier than initially planned.
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