VILNIUS, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Lithuanian police announced on Wednesday that they have seized 1.5 tons of hashish shipment worth around 20 million euros (22.6 million U.S. dollars), the largest in the country's history.
The hashish cargo hidden in a truck was seized in a joint operation of Lithuanian criminal police and the country's prosecutors near the Lithuanian and Latvian border, according to the announcement.
"This was a long, thorough and especially secret investigation by the police and the prosecutors, and we had managed to track an international drug trafficking network," said Linas Pernavas, the Chief of Lithuanian Police, during a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon.
The hashish was prepared to be delivered from Morocco and Spain to Russia, said the Lithuanian Police.
During the secret operation, the Lithuanian Police have arrested two Lithuanian and one Belarussian citizens aged 40 to 50 years, said the Lithuanian Police, warning that there could be more suspects, who could face up to 10-15 years in prison.
One of the suspects is an owner of a local cargo company, revealed the country's police.
Lithuania, a small Baltic country with a population of less than 3 million, is an important logistics connection between the Western countries and Eastern Europe.
"Lithuania was and remains a transit country in a global drug smuggling map, with narcotics heading from Morocco, UK, the Netherlands to Russia, mostly Moscow and Saint Petersburg," said the country's Police in the announcement.
According to the Lithuanian Police, hashish "is not popular in the Lithuanian market".
