17-02-2023
Freight trains from Stasylos will be diverted to Kena as part of Lithuania‘s smuggling crackdown
As part of the anti-smuggling crackdown, freight trains arriving in Lithuania from Belarus will only pass through the Kena Railway Border Inspection Post (RBIP) from the 16th February. Such trains will not pass through the Stasylos railway RBIP until a fixed X-ray inspection system is installed there, which is planned for the end of 2024.
These measures are being taken because of the large flows of contraband transported by trains from Belarus and the resulting an increased threat to Lithuania's national security.
The quantities of contraband transported from Belarus to Lithuania via the Stasylos RBIP and intercepted by the State Border Guard Services (SBGS) have increased significantly in recent years. In 2022, the (SBGS) detected 28 cases of smuggling and intercepted 2 540 669 packs of cigarettes brought from Belarus via the Stasylos RBIP in freight convoys. These interceptions account for 87.6% of the total amount of smokes smuggled by rail intercepted last year.
On average, 2 freight trains per day enter Lithuania from Belarus via Stasylos RBIP.
With the introduction of the X-ray control system in Kena, smugglers have started to avoid transporting illegal goods through the checkpoint.
The effectiveness of this X-ray control system was also confirmed at the end of last year when the Border Guards intercepted one huge Belarusian cigarette smuggling shipment of 672,000 packets of illegal cigarettes worth more than €1.5 million.
In 2022, Lithuanian customs officers intercepted 854,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes in rail transport during pre-trial investigations.
The installation of the X-ray system in Kena allows for maximum control of customs procedures in a very short time, i.e. without stopping train traffic, and for the inspection of 100% of the freight wagons entering from Belarus. The X-ray inspection system in Kena operates 24/7 and 365 days a year.
Similar X-ray inspection systems will soon be installed at Stasylos and Kybartai railway stations.
State Border Guard Services information