Lithuania, a small Baltic nation not typically associated with international drug trafficking, has become an unlikely focal point in a major crackdown on global narcotics. In December 2024, the US government took sweeping action against the global drug trade by imposing sanctions on five Lithuanians accused of coordinating a massive drug smuggling operation that spanned three continents. These sanctions, however, only hint at the scale of the alleged trafficking ring, which has raised questions about Lithuania’s growing involvement in global cocaine distribution.

The US sanctions targeted a group of individuals, including Rokas Karpis, a name that has already garnered significant attention in Lithuania due to his criminal history. Karpis, whose previous criminal exploits made him a notorious figure, is accused of playing a central role in running a complex network of drug shipments. This network allegedly involves not only Lithuanian operatives but also major international cartels, including Mexico’s infamous Sinaloa Cartel.

Karpis’ involvement in criminal activities dates back to his arrest in New Zealand in 2001. He was detained for drug smuggling but dramatically fled the country using a false identity while out on bail. He had been operating under the name Rokas Karpavičius at the time. After evading capture for nearly a decade, Karpis was finally apprehended in Latvia in 2011 and extradited to New Zealand. During his trial, local media dubbed him the “global kingpin” of a drug trafficking and money laundering syndicate. He was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison but was paroled in 2016 and deported back to Lithuania.

Despite his release, suspicions lingered that Karpis continued his illicit activities. Journalists from OCCRP and its Lithuanian partner, Siena.lt, began investigating Karpis’ activities after learning that both Australian and Colombian authorities had linked him to a major drug shipment. According to a memo found within the NarcoFiles, a leak of emails from the Colombian prosecutor’s office, Karpis is suspected of being part of a Lithuanian drug trafficking organization co-headed by him. This organization allegedly coordinated the seizure of over 1.5 tons of cocaine on the sailboat Afalina in 2017, a case that later became part of Operation Edge-Dale-a multi-country law enforcement collaboration set up after the seizure.

The memo, compiled by Colombian investigators and backed by police intelligence from Australia, claimed that Karpis, alongside Lithuanian Virginijus Labutis, orchestrated the shipment of cocaine on the Afalina. The memo revealed that the operation was highly coordinated, involving several countries and multiple players within the international drug trade. Karpis and Labutis allegedly worked closely together to facilitate the trafficking, although no charges had been filed in connection to the Afalina seizure at the time.

Labutis, a lesser-known figure in Lithuania, was arrested in Colombia in September 2024 and extradited to Lithuania on charges of cocaine trafficking. His involvement in the operation was confirmed when US sanctions were imposed on him alongside Karpis. The US Department of the Treasury accused both men of coordinating international drug shipments and working in tandem with major criminal groups, including the Sinaloa Cartel. Labutis’s arrest and subsequent extradition raised questions about Lithuania’s growing role in global narcotics trafficking.

In a striking development, Karpis had previously reinvented himself as a businessman after his release from prison, establishing new companies in Switzerland and the UK One of his ventures, a Swiss firm, operated a highly secure encrypted messaging app called Kraden. However, there is no evidence that Kraden was ever used for legitimate purposes. US authorities have since alleged that Kraden was used by drug traffickers to coordinate shipments, leading to the blacklisting of the company and its affiliates in the 2024 sanctions.

Mindaugas Lankauskas, a criminologist at Vilnius University, noted that Lithuanians have typically occupied logistical positions in the global drug trade, helping to transport drugs or facilitate their distribution. However, the scale and sophistication of Karpis and Labutis’ operations appear to signal a shift in Lithuania’s role in global trafficking networks. Lankauskas emphasized that Lithuanians have not typically been at the top of the trafficking chain, but the current evidence suggests they may now be taking on a more influential and direct role in organizing international drug shipments.

The US sanctions are a clear sign that Karpis and Labutis were involved in serious criminal activities, and the Lithuanian police have confirmed their participation in the international investigation known as Operation Edge-Dale. Arūnas Maskoliūnas, the head of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, acknowledged the scale of the crimes and the threat posed by these individuals. The crackdown has not only shocked the Lithuanian public but also highlighted the dangers posed by organized crime syndicates operating across multiple continents.

Karpis’ criminal career has been intertwined with his family’s business interests, especially after the death of his millionaire father in 2019. Karpis’ family members fought for control over the lucrative business empire he left behind. The battle for these assets became the subject of national headlines in Lithuania, and a book by journalist Dailius Dargis, The Millionaire’s Testament in the Trap of Love, delves into the family drama surrounding Karpis’ legacy. According to Dargis, a close associate of Karpis realized in 2020 that he was being surveilled by Lithuanian police. This associate was later revealed to be Labutis, further complicating the relationship between the two alleged traffickers.

Moreover, Karpis managed to remove his relatives from running UAB Karpis, a key holding company in his father’s business empire, and replaced them with Labutis’s sister, Asta Daminaitė. Daminaitė went on to become the president of the company, raising suspicions about the depth of Karpis and Labutis’ relationship and the extent of their joint criminal activities.

The saga of Lithuania’s involvement in international drug trafficking does not end with Karpis and Labutis. Saulius Staškus, another Lithuanian man sanctioned by the US in December 2024, is also linked to the Afalina operation. Staškus allegedly oversaw the crew of the sailboat, which was intercepted by the French navy while transporting cocaine from South America to Australia in 2017. The crew members testified during their trial in New Caledonia that they had interacted with Staškus during the operation. Staškus has denied any involvement with the Afalina or its crew and claims that he has no affiliation with Karpis or Labutis.

Staškus has also been connected to a separate cocaine trafficking case in Argentina, where the Afalina was reportedly used at least once to transport drugs in 2015. However, no charges were filed against Staškus in relation to this case, and he maintains that he was not directly involved in the operation.

Despite the extensive international cooperation behind Operation Edge-Dale, the investigation appears to have stalled. The Colombian prosecutor’s office noted that the pandemic and global restrictions on marine traffic disrupted plans for further drug shipments, which led the traffickers to abandon their ships. The case has now been marked as inactive on the Colombian prosecutor’s website, and questions about the case’s current status have gone unanswered.

Nevertheless, the US sanctions have drawn global attention to the role of Lithuania in international drug trafficking. Karpis and Labutis, once seen as minor players, have now emerged as key figures in a larger criminal network. As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen how far Lithuania’s involvement in the global drug trade stretches and whether these revelations will lead to further crackdowns on international narcotics trafficking.

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