Scales you couldn't imagine — Belarusian cigarettes are smoked in many European countries. How this business works

Illustrative photo. Photo: Nasha Niva

How do cigarettes get from Belarus to the European Union?

In settlements located near the border with Poland and Lithuania (Hrodna region and western Brest region), a large number of people have, in one way or another, been involved in smuggling throughout their lives.

Residents of Hrodna were previously in the most advantageous position. At a distance of 20-25 km from the city, there are two border crossings — "Bruzgi" ("Kuźnica" on the Polish side) and "Privalka" ("Raigardas" on the Lithuanian side).

The flourishing contraband business was indicated, among other things, by the large number of shops specializing in wholesale and small-wholesale trade of cigarettes. For example, on Suvorov Street alone, which leads from Hrodna towards Poland, at least four such shops operated before the pandemic.

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Cigarette shops on Suvorov Street in Hrodna. The bottom picture shows three shops at the exit from the city towards Poland. Photo: "Yandex Maps" for 2016. Collage: Nasha Niva

Some of these shops operated 24/7. But these were far from the only places where smugglers could buy cigarettes wholesale cheaper than in regular stores.

Poland — the most popular destination for ordinary smugglers

The Polish direction has always been the most popular.

People who didn't have cars usually carried cigarettes by attaching them to themselves. Naturally, this way, only a small batch — 2-5 blocks — could be transported. A separate "mafia" traveled by electric train, which smugglers effectively disassembled daily to hide their goods.

Car smuggling was very popular. Polish customs confiscated a car only if more than one box of cigarettes (50 blocks, or 500 packs) was hidden. Over time, the "norm" for which the fine remained relatively small decreased to 40 blocks, and later, an increased fine tariff was applied after just 30 blocks.

At the same time, there were always those who dared to carry more than 50 blocks, hoping that even if they ended up in a "pit" (a box for in-depth inspection), not all would be found, meaning they could keep their car.

Such cars were called "bombs" in smuggler slang — because you could lose your car at any moment.

"Working shifts" and "takers"

Without "reconnaissance," people crossed the border with cigarettes either with very small quantities (e.g., 1-3 blocks) or as novices who had no acquaintances among experienced smugglers.

Professionals shared information among themselves about which customs officer was working, if there was a dog at the border, and so on.

Polish customs officers were conditionally divided into three groups. "Płatnicy" (or "beruny" - "takers") took bribes and let cars with cigarettes pass. "Pofigiści" (indifferent ones) didn't particularly search for cigarettes and at least let those who had no previous fines pass without problems. And the last group — those who specialized in finding cigarettes and did not take bribes.

Shifts with many loyal customs officers and "takers" were called "working" shifts. Therefore, whether there would be a large queue or not strongly depended on the composition of customs on the Polish side.

"The standard fee was 100 zlotys. To pay for contraband transport, it was enough to know that a 'taker' was on that lane. During the car inspection, you'd say: 'I have something for the sir in the glove compartment / under the mat,' and so on. The customs officer would pretend to inspect the car, take their reward in the specified place, and move on.

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Illustrative photo. Photo: Nasha Niva

There was no need for connections or prior arrangements, which was also a plus for why most smugglers carried cigarettes to Poland, not Lithuania," explains a former smuggler.

No guarantees

This did not mean 100% success, as sometimes "black" (customs officers from the anti-smuggling department) appeared at the border, who could show up on the lanes at any moment and identify a familiar car.

Nevertheless, experienced smugglers with many fines tried to pass through "takers" precisely because it significantly increased their chances of success.

"People who had no fines, as a rule, did not pay bribes and often used the green channel, but only if they knew that an 'indifferent' customs officer was working, otherwise they wouldn't last long," says the interlocutor.

Lithuania was much less popular among residents of Hrodna, Masty, Shchuchyn, and Vawkavysk for a number of reasons.

"Lithuanian customs officers didn't work in terms of payments like their Polish counterparts, and a car in Lithuania would be confiscated if more than 10 blocks were found. In addition, in Poland, on the way back, it was almost always possible to pick up goods for resale and earn extra money," explains a person who smuggled cigarettes to Poland in the 2010s.

"We met with our customs officer once every 1-2 months"

An interlocutor who specialized in the Lithuanian direction says that there was indeed a specific approach there.

"While tens of blocks were transported to Poland, to Lithuania, as a rule, it was boxes," explains a person who was involved in cigarette smuggling to Lithuania in 2010-2013.

According to him, to work successfully in this direction and transport large quantities of cigarettes, one had to find a contact with a Lithuanian customs officer.

"No bribes were given at the border; car numbers that would cross the border were sent in advance via a separate phone. We met with our customs officer once every 1-2 months in Alytus, where the settlement took place."

Lithuania and Poland are not always the final destinations

The interlocutor says he handed over cigarettes in Marijampolė, Lithuania.

"As far as I knew, the Lithuanian who bought contraband cigarettes wholesale had two small points of sale in Lithuania – one in Marijampolė and one in Vilnius.

But most of these cigarettes went further. They specialized in England and Scandinavian countries, where they transported cigarettes by ferry in cars modified for this purpose," explains the former smuggler.

As for car modifications, according to the interlocutor, there were two centers where this could be done.

"In Belarus, car modifications for cigarette smuggling were specialized in the Brest region. Specialists were in Brest itself, as well as in Motol and Ivanava.

Depending on the complexity and volume of work, they charged from 1200 to 1500 dollars per car.

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Car with a double bottom. Illustrative photo

But the best craftsmen were considered Lithuanians — they charged from 2000 to 2500 euros per car (all figures are as of 2010-2013 — NN), but did higher quality work. Not only people from Belarus but also from Poland went to them for modification," the interlocutor recalls.

However, Lithuania was not the only transit base. The interlocutor who worked in the Polish direction says that the Pole to whom he delivered cigarettes resold them wholesale to other Poles, who then transported these cigarettes to Western European countries.

"His interest was only one dollar per block, but that doesn't mean he earned little, because per day, if the border shift was good, not one or two cars came to him, but many more.

Even to unload goods, sometimes you had to wait until he dismissed other colleagues, and there was also a queue forming behind you," recalls the former smuggler.

The fact that cigarettes were delivered further across Europe by Polish and Lithuanian smugglers is explained by the long-established large diasporas living in various European countries.

"As that Pole told me, most of his clients transported cigarettes to Germany and France.

At least in the 2010s, there were very few Belarusians who would transport cigarettes further than Poland and Lithuania, because it's a goldmine that no one wants to share.

When transporting across the European Union, the risk of being caught is minimal, and the earnings are good because they were already transporting several boxes. Usually in minivans, minibuses, and large SUVs.

All cars are modified so that if they cross the external EU border, at the very first in-depth inspection, customs officers will see that the car has been modified. But if it's some superficial control on a road inside Europe, then the chances of being caught are minimal," says the interlocutor.

On a much larger scale, cigarettes were delivered across the green border through Lithuania (at least until the beginning of the migration crisis organized by Lukashenka and the appearance of the fence in the summer of 2022), as well as by trucks and especially by rail.

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The photo shows a freight train and boxes of Belarusian cigarettes found by Lithuanian customs. Screenshot: Delfi video

For example, on August 30, 2021, Lithuanian customs found 66 boxes of cigarettes in a freight train coming from Belarus. In total, in August 2021, Lithuanian customs found 395 boxes of cigarettes that smugglers tried to deliver to the EU.

Sometimes the contraband cigarette market was oversaturated

It happened that prices in the contraband cigarette market fell because the market was oversaturated.

This occurred after several trucks loaded with cigarettes had passed into Poland or Lithuania at once. During such periods, dealers had to slightly undercut prices, as there were many cigarettes in excellent condition on the market.

"Moreover, these didn't necessarily have to be cigarettes from Belarus, as Russians from the Kaliningrad region were also actively involved in smuggling, carrying cigarettes to Poland and Lithuania, just like us, as were Ukrainians, who transported them to Poland."

How much could a driver earn on this?

We were unable to speak with people involved in cigarette smuggling on a particularly large scale, but a truck driver mentioned some details. In 2019, he was offered to transport cigarettes by truck.

The Pole for whom he worked as a driver called him to the office and offered a good salary to transport cigarettes from somewhere near Minsk to Suwałki, Poland.

"The Pole explained that the cigarettes would be hidden in logs, and everything was allegedly arranged at both borders, so the risks were minimal," the man recalls.

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Cigarettes in logs. Illustrative photo

The truck driver says that while ordinary drivers earned from 1500 to 2000 euros at that time, he was offered 4000-4500 euros per month for working on such a route.

"I don't know exactly how this scheme worked, because I refused such an offer, but I remember that they were looking for several willing people at once, so that not just one truck would pass at a time," shares the interlocutor.

Is Belarus the only country from which contraband cigarettes enter the European Union?

Naturally, no.

Cigarettes enter the EU, for example, from the Kaliningrad region of Russia. In the summer of 2024, there was a case when Polish customs detained a truck leaving Lithuania, loaded with cigarettes with Russian excise stamps, which were packed directly into boxes.

According to documents, the truck from Lithuania was supposed to transport eggs. The driver was a 35-year-old citizen of Belarus.

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A truck full of cigarettes with Russian excise stamps, traveling from Lithuania to Poland, was detained in the summer of 2024. Photo: gov.pl

There is also smuggling from Ukraine. For example, on October 21, Polish customs officers at the border with Ukraine at the Medyka checkpoint detained two minibuses with cigarettes. One had 40 blocks, the other 45 blocks. The drivers were citizens of Ukraine, both received fines of about 2000-2400 euros.

Moldova is another country from which cheap cigarettes enter the European Union. In September of this year, a warehouse with almost 400 boxes of cigarettes was found in Moldova, which were awaiting shipment to Romania across the river. And just recently, customs officers detained two minibuses, which were carrying a total of 189 boxes of cigarettes with Moldovan excise stamps to Bucharest. According to documents, they were transporting plants.

In September 2025, a small-tonnage Iveco truck with a trailer and a Lithuanian citizen at the wheel got into an accident on a highway in Poland. The truck was fully loaded with cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps.

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Photo: kolno.policja.gov.pl

The final destination where Belarusian cigarettes were supposed to end up is unknown. Perhaps even as far as Ireland, as contraband cigarettes reach there too. For example, in September of this year, 6 people (citizens of Poland and Armenia) were detained in Poland, involved in smuggling cigarettes from Ukraine and Belarus to Poland and Ireland, which shows the scale of this business. Its primary beneficiaries in Belarus are individuals directly connected with Alexander Lukashenka's family, as they control tobacco production in the country.

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