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Meteorological devices containing thousands of packs of cigarettes have interfered with air travel in Lithuania, as Lithuania's primary air hub was required to halt operations for several hours when numerous of them entered the national airspace.

Air Travel Interruptions

The temporary shutdown led to the cancellation of 30 flights impacting 6,000 passengers, with officials warning that additional delays could occur throughout Monday.

Border Security Response

Officials confirmed that 25 meteorological balloons were spotted infiltrating Lithuania from neighboring Belarus, with a pair of them ending up directly over the aviation facility.

As many as 14 of the weather balloons deployed throughout the weekend drifted across the capital region, which is the location of Lithuania's primary metropolis and near the frontier with Belarus.

Smuggled Items Retrieved

No fewer than 11 balloons containing numerous containers of black-market cigarettes have now been retrieved, though this number could rise, according to law enforcement authorities.

Cross-Border Contraband Trend

While creating issues, representatives clarified that "Meteorological equipment transporting smuggled items - cigarettes from Belarus - are nothing new in the Baltic region and Poland."

To date in the current year, 544 balloons have been observed infiltrating Lithuania from Belarus, while 966 were documented the previous year.

Cross-Border Effects

Simultaneously, the north-eastern Polish territory, which also borders Belarus, has documented over one hundred incidents in which contraband was flown from its neighbor using the meteorological equipment.

Illegal Transport Methods

In response to questions about why criminals use a method that is particularly vulnerable to 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 moving tobacco products from Belarus."

Law Enforcement Objectives

Officials added that "Our services' aim is to confiscate the maximum possible amounts of illegal goods and to detain organisers and involved individuals so that such operations become economically unsustainable and do not pose risk to passenger aircraft."

International Concerns

These airspace violations occur during a period of growing anxiety in Europe following numerous drone incursions that have created aviation problems across the continent.

Parallel situations in neighboring countries have caused EU officials to fast-track conversations about enhancing aerial security throughout the region.