Border security on the Polish-Belarusian border, including: in the form of a physical and electronic barrier, have resulted in smugglers constantly looking for new ways of smuggling. For this purpose, they use balloons that may pose a “direct danger”, according to information provided by the Border Guard.
Border Guard officers intercepted approximately 1.75 million cigarettes without Polish excise stamps in January. The goods were smuggled from Belarus to Poland using weather balloons. The value of the seized cigarettes was estimated at approximately PLN 1.78 million, informs the Border Guard.
Cigarettes smuggled using a weather balloon.
The operation was carried out in cooperation with the Operational Command of the Armed Forces, which is responsible for monitoring and protecting the Polish state border in the airspace.
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Mysterious balloons over Poland. “They can bring immediate danger”
“Balloons used to smuggle cigarettes may pose a direct threat to the life or health of many people or property. Such balloons can be filled with hydrogen, which in the right proportion with air creates an explosive mixture. If you notice a weather balloon, first of all, inform the services,” explains the Border Guard.
See also: Several dozen objects flew into Poland from Belarus
Cigarettes smuggled using a weather balloon.
The finale of the January activities was the detention of two Belarusian citizens by officers of the Podlaskie Branch of the Border Guard. The detainees were charged under the Fiscal Penal Code and the Act on special solutions for counteracting support for aggression in Ukraine and for the protection of national security. The court decided to temporarily arrest them for three months.
Polish-Belarus border. Cigarette smuggling into Poland
Smuggling goods subject to sanctions is punishable by imprisonment of not less than three years. The Border Guard emphasizes that the case is of a developing nature and assures that actions against smuggling of excise goods will be continued, also using non-standard methods.
Throughout 2025, officers from the Podlaskie Branch of the Border Guard detained 29 people who were involved in smuggling cigarettes using weather balloons. They revealed smuggled cigarettes worth PLN 3.4 million.
