The museum, in Rakvere, obtained the curios after they had been seized.

Museum Director Andrus Eesmaa said: "It is not quite a submarine, as it floats just on the water's surface."

The narrow Narva River and adjacent reservoir separate Estonia from Russia and are well-known smuggling hotspots.

"This is a vessel that was used in 2017 to smuggle cigarettes across the Narva Reservoir," Eesmaa added.

"The cigarettes weren't inside the vessel itself; instead, it carried batteries and towed a raft containing cigarette packs behind it, guided by an individual who directed its course," he explained.

Of the two semi-submersibles (see gallery) confiscated by the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) and making their way to the museum via the Forensic Science Institute (Kohtuekspertiisi instituut), one had been actively in use, while the other was on a test run at the time of its seizure.

The latter, according to tests, was capable of towing a 12-kilogram load for two hours at a speed of five kilometers per hour.

A smuggler swam alongside the vessel for monitoring purposes and had even attached a handle to the "boat" for easier maneuvering.

The two devices are to complement the recently updated museum exhibit dedicated to smuggling.

The Estonian Police Museum (Eesti politseimuuseum) in Rakvere is open to the public.

Other past means of avoiding east-to-west excise duties have reportedly included a pipeline run along the Narva Reservoir bed, through which vodka was pumped.

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