ois ie . ▁A ▁business ▁plan ▁was ▁developed ▁– ▁food ▁items ▁purchased ▁in ▁Germany ▁would ▁arrive ▁to ▁Ka unas ▁leg ally ▁and ▁then ▁would ▁be ▁transport ed ▁to ▁Russia ▁in ▁diplom atic ▁packages ▁where ▁they ▁would ▁be ▁ex changed ▁for ▁valu ables . ▁In ▁his ▁mem oir s , ▁Lith uan ian ▁diplom at ▁Bron ius ▁Kaz ys ▁Bal ut is ▁wrote ▁that ▁the ▁practice ▁was ▁just ified ▁as ▁a ▁way ▁to ▁recover ▁at ▁least ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁conf isc ated ▁property ▁and ▁at ▁one ▁point ▁it ▁was ▁even ▁semi - legal ized ▁when ▁a ▁special ▁commission ▁ass essed ▁a ▁ 1 0 % ▁tax ▁on ▁the ▁items ▁brought ▁back ▁from ▁Russia . ▁Sur v iving ▁letters ▁by ▁A vi ž on is ▁show ▁that ▁he ▁moved ▁items ▁worth ▁bill ions ▁of ▁Soviet ▁rub les ▁( then ▁subject ▁to ▁hyper infl ation ) ▁and ▁that ▁he ▁planned ▁to ▁use ▁the ▁money ▁to ▁purchase ▁a ▁building ▁for ▁the ▁Lith uan ian ▁leg ation ▁in ▁Moscow . ▁In ▁his ▁mem oir s , ▁Jon as ▁Pol ov in sk as - B ud rys ▁claimed ▁that ▁on ▁the ▁Russian ▁side , ▁the ▁trade ▁was ▁organized ▁by ▁the ▁Che ka ▁and ▁thus ▁could ▁be ▁easily ▁used ▁to ▁black mail ▁Lith uan ian ▁officials ▁into ▁sp ying ▁for ▁the ▁Rus si ans . ▁A vi ž on is ▁is ▁known ▁to ▁have ▁established ▁contacts ▁with ▁Che ka ▁men ▁S emy on ▁Ar al ov , ▁Y akov ▁Dav yd ov , ▁V y aches lav ▁M enz