Two hot air balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes exploded after hitting power lines in central Lithuania on Wednesday, October 21. Police recovered nearly 20,000 packs of suspected contraband cigarettes from the two sites.
According to Lithuania’s fire and rescue service, the incidents occurred in the Kėdainiai and Kaišiadorys districts within 24 hours.
The first explosion occurred at around 6 a.m. in Padotnuvys village in the Kėdainiai district. Firefighters received a report of something burning on Draugystės Street, initially suspecting that a streetlight had exploded.
However, responders discovered that a balloon used to smuggle cigarettes had struck power lines and exploded. Its debris was burning along the roadside.
Police later found 10 packages tied with rope on the road. Preliminary estimates indicated that the packages contained around 15,000 packs of suspected contraband cigarettes. Authorities have not identified those responsible, and investigators handed the collected evidence to Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service.
Modestas Tvaravičius, head of the Dotnuva District, told local publication Rinkos aikštė that this was the first such incident in the area. He said the balloon had most likely landed on a farmer’s land, although he had not yet spoken to the landowner.
The second incident occurred at around 11 p.m. in Šakniai village in the Kaišiadorys district. Firefighters responded after residents reported an explosion and a fire in a field.
At the scene, crews found another cigarette-smuggling balloon that had hit power lines and caught fire. Authorities recovered approximately 4,900 packs of suspected contraband cigarettes.
Combined, the two incidents resulted in the recovery of around 19,900 packs of cigarettes.
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