EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Lithuania, Markets and Companies, Transport

Photo: cust.lt

Until February 9 of this year, the Lithuanian customs officers performed on the Polish border strengthened controls according to bilateral cooperation plans for joint actions in border areas. Sunday morning, the officers of the mobile groups of the Kaunas Territorial Customs Office, having patrolled the road A 5, stopped for control a MAN cargo truck, driven by a Latvian citizen V. F. The latter told that he was going from one Western European country, where he had brought cargos, and now he was going to return by transit via Lithuania to Latvia.

However, the Latvian’s story and behaviour seemed suspicious to the officers, and the truck was directed to the Kybartai Road Post for control by x-ray equipment. There, it became clear that the experienced employees` suspicions did not lead them astray – a well-made hiding-place was found in the floors of the truck’s semi-trailer. The officers managed to open it only with the help of firemen having quickly arrived from Vilkaviškis (the customs officers would like to thank sincerely the colleagues for the support they extended).

The customs officers pulled out of the hiding-place several dozens of packages containing 220 kg of some substance. Judging according to the initial results of drug tests, it was hashish. 

The driver of the MAN was detained. A pre-trial investigation into the drug smuggling was started at the Kaunas branch of the Customs Criminal Service (CCS). The prosecutors of the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office are in charge of the investigation.

This is the biggest consignment of drug substances seized this year. Last year, the customs officers seized 822 kg of drugs.

As it is apparent from this seizure, drug smuggling tendencies have not changed in recent years: according to information possessed by customs criminalists, Lithuania has become a transit point for carrying to Russia hashish and marijuana originating in Africa. These drugs are mostly of Moroccan origin and they arrive illegally to Spain through the Strait of Gibraltar.