20 apprehended for currency smuggling in Western Norway

currencyCurrency smuggling : Erlend Aas / NTB scanpix

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The Customs Administration recently made a successful catch at airports in western Norway; uncovering extensive currency smuggling. 20 people were caught smuggling more than 750,000 kroner altogether.

‘We have two or three major campaigns during the year, but we pay continual attention to currency smuggling’, said Valborg Bishop, representing Customs Officers in Stavanger, to NRK news.

Most broke the rules in Stavanger. There, the customs inspectors found NOK 600,000 in cash, none of which passengers had stated in advance.

Those caught were nationals of nine different countries: Poland, China, Thailand, Lithuania, Ethiopia, Sweden, Norway, Ukraine and Sudan.

Last year, nearly 1,000 people were caught for attempted smuggling of large amounts of cash. According to Customs Officers, it’s ’the big unknown’.

‘Some do it because they don’t know the rules, others because they don’t want to register their money as currency in Norway. They won’t leave traces of a transaction’, said Bishop.

An individual is allowed to take larger amounts of cash abroad, but anything over NOK 25,000 must be declared in advance.

The penalty for smuggling currency is 20 percent of the amount one is caught attempting to smuggle.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today

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