On November 21, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. Latvian border guards, acting on a tip-off from their Belarusian counterparts, intercepted a homemade electric ferry carrying tobacco contraband, the press center of the State Border Committee (GPC) of Belarus told BelTA. A detail of the Polotsk Border Detachment on the Belarusian-Latvian border spotted a raft moving along the Western Dvina River. This information was immediately relayed to their Latvian colleagues. As a result, the raft was detained by border guards from Latvia. The smugglers were attempting to transport 52 boxes of cigarettes (26,000 packs) with Belarusian excise stamps. An electric motor was installed on the raft, and next to the tobacco were 5 batteries and a navigator. "This time, the smugglers went beyond their usual technical tricks. They equipped the raft with contraband not only with 'standard' navigation but also with an electric motor. It turned out to be a kind of electric ferry," the GPC noted. Joint measures with Latvian border guards are currently underway to search for and identify the participants of this transport. -0-

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