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More than 24 million euros in damages to the state was prevented by the actions, the Customs Department said.

Last year also marks the biggest shipment of smuggling tobacco busted since Lithuania's customs was restored 25 years ago. Customs officers apprehended 219 million cigarettes (nearly 11 million packs) estimated at 26.5 million euros, which indicates a double increase from 13 million euros worth of detained cigarettes in 2014.

Unlike the tendencies of previous years when largest amounts of tobacco were busted on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, Lithuanian customs officers last year caught more illegal Belarusian tobacco brought into Lithuania from other countries of the European Union (EU).

Arunas Adomenas, director general of the Customs Department, the change of smuggling routes was due to stepped up control of the EU's exterior border and installation of x-ray control systems in all checkpoints.