Steinar Westby (35) had to learn it the hard way. He is now free again after almost 8 years in jail.

Norwegian Steinar Westby (35) is back in Lithuania after nearly eight years in prison in Norway. It was here in Vilnius that he was arrested in 2003 for large-scale smuggling of the drug Rophynol from Russia through Lithuania to Scandinavia, and for the scrapping of stolen cars, preparing them for 'export' from Norway to Lithuania.

"No matter how much money you earn on criminal activity, it is not worth it!" Steinar has had enough of the madness and is now just happy that he got through his criminal career with his life and health intact, as he directs a clear warning to other young people who may think this kind of easy money may provide a basis for a good life.

"Rohypnol is no longer in production," he says over a beer in a Vilnius pub this Saturday afternoon. "Now it’s mostly amphetamines, alcohol and cigarettes that is smuggled through Lithuania to Western Europe. Smuggling of these items, however, takes place on a very large scale, and Lithuania has in recent years become a leading gateway for smuggling to the EU. It is still quite possible to bribe customs officials and border guards here, and the border control is also far too random and not very extensive," he tells me."Another typical activity for criminals in today's Lithuania," he says, "is to steal cars in Germany and bring them here for resale to the countries further east. That there no longer are border controls within the EU, has made this type of activity far simpler."

Steinar insists that he, for his own part, is finished for good with criminal activity. "Now I'll try to rebuild my life and do my best to warn other young people about falling into the crime trap," he says.

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