Polish border officers found two meteorological balloons smuggling cigarette contraband from Belarus, worth over 46,000 złoty, on December 27, 2025.

Polish Podlaski Border Guard officials uncovered two meteorological balloons used to transport contraband cigarettes from Belarus to Poland. The smugglers exploited the balloons to bypass border controls, moving illicit tobacco goods valued at over 46,000 PLN. The seizures took place near the border posts in Mielnik and Nowy Dwór. The Podlaski Border Guard posted about this interdiction on their official social media on December 27, 2025, including images of the recovered balloons. This represents a smuggling tactic abusing meteorological equipment to evade national customs enforcement.