The meteorological balloons used by cigarette smugglers were first detected by the National Armed Forces (NBS).
From Sunday evening until Monday morning, NBS radar systems observed several aerial objects entering Latvian airspace at various intervals as they crossed the Latvia–Belarus border, the Interior Ministry reported.
Immediately after receiving the information, the State Border Guard together with the State Police launched operational activities in several municipalities along Latvia’s eastern border, conducting area inspections, patrols, and searches for the objects.
Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) emphasized that critical infrastructure is not threatened, but noted that this has become one of the methods through which illegal cigarettes are being brought into Latvia. Latvian authorities are continuously monitoring the situation at the border. However, since last night, services were working in an enhanced regime until the morning. So far, eight meteorological sondes have been intercepted, each carrying approximately 60,000 to 120,000 cigarettes. The services continue to work actively, and these numbers may change throughout the day.
At present,
authorities have seized eight sondes carrying more than 720,000 illegal cigarettes in total.
The State Border Guard and State Police urge residents to report such objects by calling 112. They also warn people not to approach these objects or attempt to land them on their own.
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 with 60,000 Belarusian cigarettes. In May, border guards in Ludza Municipality also found a balloon carrying smuggled cigarettes.
It has also 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 originally planned.
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