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The Panevėžys Regional Court has found 25-year-old Mindaugas Šukys and 22-year-old Gvidas Stasevičius guilty of smuggling large quantities of narcotic and psychotropic substances from the USA and illegal possession thereof. The court sentenced both defendants to custodial prison terms, ordering immediate execution.

According to case files, in the spring of 2024, the defendants used the Telegram platform to order approximately one kilogram of cannabis and other products containing THC and psilocin from suppliers in the USA. The shipments were disguised as children's toys and addressed to an unsuspecting individual whose documents G. Stasevičius claimed to have found in a car while working as a ride-share driver.

In the shipments from the USA, officers discovered an exceptionally wide range of narcotic and psychotropic substances. Cardboard boxes contained nearly a kilogram (947 grams) of cannabis with a THC concentration reaching up to 23.3%. In addition to the raw material for smoking, the contraband included three electronic cigarettes with cannabis oil, as well as PSYCD, Black Cherry Gelato, and Bliss gummies/candies found to contain psychotropic psilocin and pure THC. Officers also found a specific white crystalline substance mixture and a package of Bliss Snowcaps containing cannabis buds treated with psychotropic substances.

Experts drew particular attention to the psilocin gummies – a potent hallucinogen that distorts the perception of reality, causes visual and auditory hallucinations, and can be extremely dangerous to the users' mental health.

In court, defense attorneys attempted to argue that the defendants' actions constituted only an attempted crime, as the shipments were intercepted by customs and replaced with imitation packages; however, the court rejected this argument.

"The defendants acquired the narcotics by purchasing them online and paying with cryptocurrency. They became the owners of the substances at that very moment. The fact that law enforcement controlled the delivery of the shipment does not change the fact that the crime was completed as soon as the substances crossed the state border," stated Judge V. P. Meidus.

The court determined that M. Šukys not only participated in the smuggling but also kept 198 ecstasy (MDMA) tablets and third-party identification documents in his apartment in Panevėžys. The judge noted that both convicts committed these crimes while having prior active convictions, and M. Šukys committed new offenses even after being detained in this case. G. Stasevičius also continued his criminal activities while another analogous case against him was being heard in court.

By court order, the final combined sentences were imposed: Mindaugas Šukys received 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment, and Gvidas Stasevičius received 3 years and 4 months of imprisonment. When passing the sentences, the court applied a legal exception and imposed more lenient sentences than the statutory minimum, taking into account that the drugs did not enter the market.

However, the court decided that the more lenient restrictive measures previously applied to the defendants (written pledges not to depart) were insufficient. To ensure the execution of the judgment and prevent new crimes, both convicts were remanded into custody in the courtroom. In the case of M. Šukys, this was also motivated by his systematic violations of the obligation to register with the police.

The judgment also ordered the confiscation of all mobile phones used in the commission of the crimes.

The verdict of the Panevėžys Regional Court may be appealed to the Lithuanian Court of Appeal within 20 days.

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