Polish authorities detain four in weather balloon cigarette smuggling ring

Polish police and Border Guard officers have detained four individuals suspected of participating in an organized crime group involved in smuggling cigarettes from Belarus using weather balloons. The operation is part of a large-scale investigation overseen by the Białystok District Prosecutor's Office, which has already brought charges against more than 150 people.

The suspects face charges related to fiscal criminal code violations and the so-called sanctions law, which aims to prevent support for aggression against Ukraine. Under these specific regulations, smuggling cigarettes from Belarus is treated as a crime punishable by 3 to 30 years in prison.

Among those detained, a Belarusian national suspected of organizing the shipments was arrested at a Warsaw airport, and a Polish national was apprehended at the Kuźnica border crossing. Both have been temporarily arrested. Two other Polish suspects were detained in Białystok and released under police supervision and travel bans. In the Kuźnica area alone, 35 people have faced charges this year, with an estimated value of seized cigarettes exceeding 3.7 million PLN.