On Friday, April 17, border guards prevented the illegal movement of cigarettes across the Latvia–Belarus State border and retrieved a raft of contraband cigarettes from the Daugava River.
While performing their duties in Piedruja Parish, Krāslava Municipality, a border guard shift noticed a suspicious object floating along the current of the Daugava. Using a State Border Guard motorboat and inspecting the border along the river, the border guards discovered four rectangular packages wrapped in black polyethylene film. Upon inspection, they found 60 000 “NZ Gold” cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps.
The cigarettes were handed over to State Police officials, who initiated criminal proceedings under Chapter XIX of the Criminal Law.
It has already been reported that last week border guards retrieved two rafts with cigarettes from the Daugava River—one containing 66 120 “NZ Gold” cigarettes and the other 62 060 “NZ Gold Superslim” cigarettes, both with Belarusian excise stamps.