photo: State Border Guard Service/Video: How cigarettes are smuggled from Belarus to the EU on freight trains
In addition to this year's phenomenon at the EU's border with Belarus - the migration crisis - border guards from Lithuania and Poland get to face another problem, cigarette smuggling from Belarus. According to statistics from the Lithuanian State Border Guard, in the first 11 months of this year alone, a total of 379 smuggling cases were detected on Lithuanian territory, and over 2.4 million packs of illegal cigarettes got confiscated. It is noteworthy that approximately 41% of all seized cigarettes across the border with Lithuania get smuggled on freight trains.
Belarusian cigarettes are transported in freight wagons, hidden in bulk cargo (fertilizers, biofuels, etc.), in the construction of train carriages, and sometimes in specially equipped hiding places. The Lithuanian Border Guard also records cases where the wear and tear or malfunctioning of the locking mechanism of the wagon has got abused, making it impossible to open sealed compartments without breaking the seal of the consignor or customs authorities.
Rail transport is becoming an attractive place to hide tobacco products. The freight train makes it possible to transport large quantities of contraband goods. It is easy to hide them among other cargo and to unload the tobacco at any point along the transport route outside the national border.
One of such illegal transportation methods got recently disclosed. It was disclosed by the Lithuanian State Border Guard through social media.
Video source: State Border Guard Service
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