00:00Authorities in Lithuania said they have arrested 21 people allegedly connected to a criminal network
00:08that smuggled cigarettes using weather balloons from Belarus.
00:12Investigators conducted more than 80 searches, seizing cigarettes, SIM cards, communication
00:17and tracking signal jammers and firearms, as well as luxury cars and property.
00:23The prosecutors alleged that the suspects had direct contacts with accomplices operating from
00:28Belarus. They faced charges of participating in a criminal organization, illegal handling
00:33and smuggling of excised goods, and aiding another state in acting against Lithuania.
00:39Earlier this month, Lithuania declared a national emergency over security risks posed by the
00:45meteorological balloons sent from Belarus. The balloons forced Lithuania to repeatedly shut
00:51down its main airport in the capital Vilnius, stranding thousands of people, and led to the
00:57temporary closure of two land border crossings with Belarus. Officials in Lithuania have accused
01:04Belarus, which is closely allied with Russia, of using the balloons as a form of hybrid warfare
01:10against the country.
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