Lithuanian authorities detained 27 people, including police and border guard officials, in a major cigarette smuggling probe involving weather balloons, with charges including aiding a foreign hostile state.

Lithuanian law enforcement detained 27 people, including 13 officials from police and State Border Guard Service, in a large-scale cigarette smuggling operation using weather balloons. The operation targeted organized groups corrupting officials to smuggle cigarettes, threatening national security and civil aviation safety. The criminals used GPS and encrypted communications to track landed balloons and retrieve cargo. Evidence and equipment were seized from 74 searches involving over 100 officers. Charges include smuggling, criminal association, and aiding a foreign state hostile to Lithuania. Assets seized are valued at 4.2 million euros. The operation involved suspending corrupt officials and maintaining local security. Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė emphasized the fight against smuggling and organized crime as a government priority and highlighted institutional accountability reforms.