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Meteorological devices containing numerous packages of cigarettes have interfered with air travel in Lithuania, as the country's main airport was required to halt operations for several hours when dozens of them floated into the national airspace.

Flight Disruptions

The operational halt led to the cancellation of 30 flights impacting thousands of passengers, with airport representatives alerting that additional delays could occur throughout Monday.

National Security Measures

Border security stated that twenty-five weather balloons were detected entering Lithuania from the border with Belarus, with two of which ending up right above the aviation facility.

Approximately 14 of the weather balloons deployed throughout the weekend drifted across the capital region, which is the location of Lithuania's main urban center and close to the Belarusian boundary.

Smuggled Items Retrieved

At least 11 balloons carrying eighteen thousand packages of illegal tobacco products have been collected so far, though this number could rise, according to customs agents.

Cross-Border Contraband Trend

While creating issues, representatives clarified that "Meteorological equipment transporting smuggled items - tobacco products originating in Belarus - are common occurrences in Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland."

So far this year, over five hundred weather devices have been recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus, while nearly a thousand were documented the previous year.

Cross-Border Effects

At the same time, the border area of Poland, which similarly neighbors Belarus, has documented over 100 cases in which smuggled items were delivered from its adjacent country employing the meteorological equipment.

Smuggling Techniques

When questioned about why criminals use a approach that remains particularly vulnerable to weather conditions rather than simpler to operate drones, representatives elaborated that "Weather devices are basic instruments used by illegal traders - they are less expensive than drones for transporting cigarettes from Belarus."

Security Service Goals

Representatives further stated that "The objective of our agencies is to capture the greatest possible amounts of illegal goods and to apprehend coordinators and perpetrators so that such operations become not financially viable and create minimal risk to passenger aircraft."

European Tensions

These airspace violations occur during a period of increased concerns in Europe following multiple unmanned aircraft violations that have created aviation problems across the continent.

Parallel situations in nearby states have caused EU officials to fast-track conversations about strengthening air defences throughout European airspace.