Lithuania Arrests 21 in Hot-Air Balloon Cigarette Smuggling Crackdown

Lithuanian authorities arrested 21 individuals linked to a network smuggling cigarettes from Belarus using hot-air and helium balloons, following 80 coordinated raids that seized contraband, weapons, luxury vehicles, and surveillance equipment worth approximately €720,000; earlier arrests and identification of over 100 suspects led to a state of emergency due to national security concerns and disruptions to civil aviation.