Eleven suitcases containing a total of 170,000 cigarettes and other smuggled goods were confiscated by customs at the end of October at Vienna Airport in Schwechat. "We have never come across such quantities in passenger traffic before," said customs team leader Roland Karner, who has been on duty at Vienna Airport since 1991, at a press event on Tuesday. Financial penalty proceedings have been initiated against the three smugglers, who face fines of up to 80,000 euros each.
Customs Makes Mega-Seizure at Vienna Airport: Trio Attempted to Smuggle 170,000 Cigarettes
3-12-2024, 11:33
During customs checks at Vienna Airport at the end of October, there was a "major bust of historic proportions": 170,000 cigarettes, around 50 kilograms of shisha tobacco, and over 6,000 potency pills were discovered and confiscated in eleven suitcases.
170,000 Cigarettes Seized in Eleven Suitcases at Vienna Airport
It was "a major bust of historic proportions" that the customs team for passenger traffic and mobile checks managed to pull off on October 31, it was emphasized. The three male passengers coming from the Egyptian capital Cairo had 852 cartons of cigarettes, around 50 kilograms of shisha tobacco, and 6,276 potency pills confiscated.
Through risk analyses, customs had already become suspicious in advance, and a 61-year-old Italian was first examined during a focus check. He was traveling with four suitcases. As the check in the green channel revealed using an X-ray machine, they contained nothing but cigarettes and hookah tobacco.
Shortly thereafter, a 30-year-old Frenchman and a 49-year-old wanted to leave. When they realized that their acquaintance was being checked, they tried to bypass customs by wanting to store their suitcases. It remained an attempt - and the customs officers also discovered cigarettes, shisha tobacco, and potency pills in these bulging pieces of luggage.
"Risk Analyses Work"
"Our risk analyses work," said customs area manager Michael Kalcher, according to the press kit. "This is how we efficiently prevent smuggling and protect correctly operating companies from illegal black market trading," added team leader Karner. Both in the cargo area and in passenger traffic, considerable successes are regularly achieved in the fight against illegally imported goods, praised Finance Minister Gunter Mayr: "When the right ones are pulled out of millions of suitcases, it shows how professionally smuggling is being tackled here."
(APA/Red)
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