On Tuesday, May 27, border guards in Ludza Municipality detected a balloon carrying contraband cigarettes.
While supervising the state border in Malnava Parish, a white object flying through the air from the Russian Federation into the Republic of Latvia was detected, which landed in a meadow about 100 meters from the state border. The border guards immediately went to the location of the object and determined that it was a meteorological probe to which a box wrapped in polyethylene film and with contraband cigarettes inside was attached. It was found that the box contained 30 000 “NZ Gold” cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps.
Criminal proceedings were initiated under Section 190(3) of the Criminal Law (contraband committed on a significant scale).