A Joint Investigation Team (JIT), set up and funded by Eurojust and supported by Europol, has exposed an operation involving self-igniting parcels. The team comprises authorities from Germany, Lithuania, Poland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

The JIT deals with several incidents that were recorded along transit routes of parcels that were sent from Lithuania to addresses in the UK and Poland in 2024. One parcel, which passed through a sorting centre in Germany, caught fire at Leipzig airport shortly before being loaded onto an aircraft. Another ignited in a warehouse in the United Kingdom, while a third caught fire in a truck in Poland.

Authorities were able to intercept one parcel before ignition, allowing for analysis of the device and its potential damage. The investigation also identified two “test packages” sent to the United States and Canada, as well as two parcels in Amsterdam intended for the same destinations.

Eurojust reported on 6 March 2025 that, according to investigators, suspected perpetrators were recruited and instructed via an online messaging service. Tasks were divided among several individuals, and payments were often made in cryptocurrencies. Investigators suspect the acts were carried out on behalf of the military intelligence service of the Russian Federation.

Eurojust continues to identify links to other investigations involving similar incidents, and to coordinate cooperation between the countries involved.