Famous gangs of smugglers made it easier – Respublika.lt

Received dozens of complaints

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal of Lithuania announced a decision in a highly complex case of more than 250 volumes, in which 32 persons were charged with organizing, leading and participating in the activities of a criminal association, smuggling and illegal possession of cigarettes, corruption and other crimes. They are accused of committing over 150 crimes.

As “Vakaro žinios” wrote, the Vilnius District Court sentenced 27 people in January 2022 – prison terms and fines, jointly and severally ordered to pay almost EUR 6.7 million in damages to the state and confiscated sums of money corresponding to the value of the tractors and semi-trailers used during the crimes or part of the value.

It is recognized that the 46-year-old Vilnius man Marjanas Taraškevičius, nicknamed Marek, and former criminal police officer Vincent Mačiulaitis, nicknamed Vincuk, who were called the king of Lithuanian smuggling, organized and led a criminal association in 2007-2011, which operated in Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Russia, and the Netherlands.

The main crime is illegal possession of cigarettes, their smuggling. About a ton of precursors – raw materials for the production of drugs – were also available.

After this verdict, 20 appeals were filed – by the prosecutor, the convicts and their defenders.

They were not armed

As previously claimed by the prosecutor’s office, the members of one of the largest criminal organizations operating in Lithuania are on trial. However, the gang was not armed and did not commit violence against its members.

About 70 people participated in the group’s activities, but not all of them belonged to it. Civil servants were also created to commit crimes. Officers who provided information to the group have been identified. Some of the suspects are subject to separate pre-trial investigations.
Officials started the investigation back in 2010. However, the Customs Criminal Service has been interested in the work of individual actors since 2008. From the very beginning, it was established that a well-organized group was carrying out large-scale shipments of cigarettes from Russia and Belarus to Lithuania and Western European countries, and the ingenious scheme was revealed.

During the investigation, it was established that the members of the group communicated with lawyers and judges. Information about inspections, cargo detention and other information was provided to them by low-ranking customs officials. Several foreign citizens also appeared in the case.

No evidence found

As informed by the Court of Appeal, the panel of judges decided that there is no indisputable evidence in the case confirming the participation of the convicts in a criminal association. The necessary long-term, permanent, close and strong relations between the participants, as well as other possible features, have not been established for it: a hierarchical structure, maintenance of discipline and subordination, periodic meetings of the participants, sharing of profits, a common fund intended for committing crimes and meeting the needs of other activities of the association and its members. .

According to the court’s assessment, the convicts acted as an organized group, whose members were divided into tasks only when committing specific crimes.

Bitches in short

After the reclassification of the acts to the organizers of the crimes, M. Taraškevičius was sentenced to a final summary sentence of 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of 3,766 euros, while V. Mačiulaičius was sentenced to a final summary sentence of 14.5 years of imprisonment and a fine of 24,479 euros.

According to the previous decision, M. Taraškevičius was sentenced to 13 years behind bars and a fine of 7,532 euros, while V. Mačiulaičius was sentenced to 14 years and 10 months of imprisonment and a fine of 7,532 euros.

According to reports, both men were known for their love of luxury, frequented casinos, traveled to the most expensive resorts, built great homes, and more.

By the way, in 2014 M. Taraškevičius was sentenced to more than 8 years in prison for cocaine trafficking. in 2016 V. Mačiulaitis received a 14-year prison sentence for smuggling cigarettes and over 290 kilograms of hashish.

He sees the inaction of the officials

Some convicts have been acquitted of smuggling without proving that they participated in these crimes. Also, for some men, taking into account their personalities, roles and lengthy proceedings, prison sentences were commuted to fines or the latter were reduced. The process dragged on for a very long time – the case was transferred to the court in 2015. at the beginning

In addition, the part of the judgment of the district court, which confiscated the amount corresponding to the value or part of the value of the tractors and semi-trailers, was annulled.

“While there was a pre-trial investigation and the hearing of the case in the court of first instance, the vehicles were not subject to a temporary restriction of the right to ownership, they were not preserved and there is no longer an opportunity to confiscate them in kind, therefore the burden of responsibility due to the inaction of the officials and excessive property liens cannot be transferred to the convicts”, – noted the Appellate court.