Belarusian customs officers stopped about 136 kg of hashish entering the country from the European Union, the State Customs Committee said.[1][2] The drugs were intended for distribution in Belarus and Russia.[1] Eight people involved in the scheme were detained, including the customers behind the shipment.[1] Those detained were Belarusians and Russians acting in prior conspiracy, arrested with their Russian counterparts in operations on the territory of both countries, Pozirk reported.[3][2]

The truck, operated by a Polish haulier carrying alcohol, came into Belarus through the Kozlovichi border crossing with 320 briquettes of pressed hashish hidden in specially built compartments.[1] The truck entered through the Kozlovichi border crossing.[1] Brest customs officers sent it for scanning with an inspection system, and the scan showed an unusual dark patch in the lower area of a semi-trailer registered in Latvia.[1][2] Dismantling exposed hidden compartments built into the floor of the trailer’s tool boxes, and forensic experts of the Brest Region State Forensic Examination Committee confirmed the contents were hashish.[1][2]

Brest Customs opened a criminal case against the group under part 2 of article 328-1 of the Belarusian Criminal Code, which covers moving narcotics across the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union and Belarus.[1][2] Russian authorities opened separate cases against some of the participants under conspiracy and drug-trafficking provisions of the Russian Criminal Code.[1] The suspects could face up to 20 years in prison; Pozirk describes that as the penalty the case carries, not a sentence.[3] Reform.news reported the detained Belarusians and Russians were aged between 37 and 40, while the customs committee gave the range as 30 to 37.[4][2]

The detentions came from joint operational-search measures conducted with Russian customs officers on the territory of the two countries.[2]