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Record customs seizures in 2017

15 kgs o marijuana at Ørje, Photo: Norwegian Customs

Norwegian customs officials gained a record in the number of seizures last year. Alcohol and drug seizures increased the most.

 

In total, 37,948 customs seizures were made last year, wrote Nettavisen newspaper. That was almost 2,000 more than the previous year.

‘In a way, we have regrettably broken some records in 2017.

There are many explanations for that,’ said chief executive, Øystein Børmer. Among other things, he showed that more and more goods are being transported across the border, and that not everyone follows Norwegian law.

Cameras at border crossings, intelligence work, and more controls are some of the reasons why the number of seizures increased. But even though more were made, Børmer doesn’t know how extensive smuggling is.

‘In our area, there is very little we know for sure. We operate in an industry where we make our best assessments, but we can rarely say anything with 100% certainty about what’s happening’.

A record was broken in the number of drug seizures. There were 4,352, over an average of 3,900 a year during the past few years.

‘It is a deplorable development. In recent years, we have seen an increase in synthetically produced, psychoactive substances. It’s not in large quantities, but they’re substances that can be up to10,000 times more powerful than traditional drugs. Substances that are acutely hazardous’, warned the Customs Director.

Alcoholic beverages were the single group of seizures that increased the most.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today