27 people detained in Lithuania in a smuggling case, including 13 law enforcement officers
On Friday, law enforcement agencies provided additional information about a large-scale operation conducted in recent days by the Criminal Police Bureau and the Prosecutor General's Office of Lithuania, reports LRT.
Photo: Lithuanian police
Deputy Commissioner General of the Lithuanian Police Marius Draudvila told at a press conference that the operation is related to cigarette smuggling using meteorological balloons.
According to him, a total of 27 people were detained this week, including 13 police officers and State Border Guard Service employees.
"Members of the criminal organization used GPS devices, as well as encrypted communication tools, to precisely know where the meteorological balloons landed. <…> Then they collected them, stored them, and, of course, sold the smuggled cigarettes," he said.
On Tuesday morning, ARAS special forces were seen near apartment buildings in Šalčininkai, and later near the district municipality building. According to unofficial information, one of those detained on Tuesday could have been an officer of the State Border Guard Service, and a municipality employee was also mentioned among the detainees.
At least two sources told the portal that searches were also conducted at the Šalčininkai police commissariat on Thursday. According to unofficial data, at least seven people were detained during the operation, one of whom tried to escape.
Some of the detainees have been involved in similar cases before.
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