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Weather balloons transporting thousands of packs of cigarettes have caused flight disruptions in Lithuania, as the country's main airport was required to halt operations for an extended period when multiple of them drifted across the country's airspace.

Aviation Problems

The operational halt led to 30 flight cancellations affecting thousands of passengers, with airport representatives alerting that further disruptions were possible throughout Monday.

Law Enforcement Actions

Officials confirmed that twenty-five weather balloons were detected entering Lithuania from neighboring Belarus, with two of which ending up right above the airport's airspace.

Up to 14 of the atmospheric instruments deployed throughout the weekend passed through the capital region, which is the location of Lithuania's main urban center and adjacent to the Belarusian boundary.

Smuggled Items Retrieved

At least 11 balloons containing numerous containers of black-market cigarettes have been collected so far, though this number could rise, according to border security officials.

International Illegal Trade

While creating issues, authorities noted that "Balloons with contraband - cigarettes from Belarus - are common occurrences in the Baltic region and Poland."

To date in the current year, numerous meteorological balloons have been recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus, while approximately 966 had been recorded last year.

Regional Consequences

At the same time, the north-eastern Polish territory, which also borders Belarus, has registered in excess of numerous instances in which smuggled items were delivered from its border nation utilizing the meteorological equipment.

Criminal Methodology

In response to questions about why smugglers utilize a approach that remains especially affected by weather elements rather than easier to manage drones, representatives elaborated that "Weather devices are basic instruments used by smugglers - they are less expensive than drones for carrying smoking materials from Belarus."

Border Protection Aims

Officials added that "Our services' aim is to capture the greatest possible volumes of smuggled items and to apprehend coordinators and involved individuals so that this activity become economically unsustainable and do not pose risk to civil aviation."

International Concerns

These airspace violations occur during a time of heightened tension in Europe following numerous drone incursions that have resulted in flight interruptions across the continent.

Parallel situations in adjacent nations have caused EU officials to speed up talks about improving airspace protection throughout the region.