Belarusian Smuggled Cigarettes Are Loaded Into Transit Chinese Containers
- 21.07.2025, 11:38
The scheme is set in motion.
Belarusian cigarettes are smuggled across the Polish border with the help of a new scheme. It is reported by the "Community of Railwaymen of Belarus."
The smugglers take a batch of Belarusian cigarettes to Smolensk region of Russia, bordering Belarus. There is no actual border there, and there is almost no customs inspection. The cargo is placed at one of the small stations, through which Chinese transit trains to Europe go.
"By prior agreement with local dispatchers, the container train is stopped unscheduled for 20-40 minutes under the pretext of non-acceptance or congestion of the forward hub station. During such a stop, smugglers open containers loaded on platforms and load cigarettes into them. They do not open random containers, but those that will be reloaded on the Polish side. The volume of loaded products is limited only by the time of train parking", - describe the scheme of railroad workers.
For this purpose, for example, the seals on the containers are torn off, and after loading the contraband put false ones. Smugglers know in advance which container to load cigarettes into, and the number of the seal is communicated to them by railroad companions according to the waybills.
A second method is to cut a hatch in the roof or floor of the container. Then it is masked with metal, composites, fiberglass and appropriate paint.
The containers loaded with contraband transit through Belarus, and then - to Poland.
The Society of Railwaymen notes that the scheme of "charging containers" with cigarettes directly in Belarus has been operating for a long time and is put on the stream. Smugglers use low-loaded stations - Hlyustino near Orsha and Lesnaya near Baranavichy.
The innovation with the loading of cigarettes in Russia, according to the Community of Railwaymen, is caused by the entry of a "new player," who wants to avoid competition with the Belarusian businessmen and remain unattainable for the Belarusian law enforcers.
The cost of the "service" of unscheduled delay of one container train - from $2 to $4 thousand dollars.