Customs Intervention at Weeze Airport
On Monday, May 11, 2026, customs officers from the travel control unit of the Duisburg customs office conducted an inspection at Weeze Airport, where they encountered two women, aged 31 and 52, arriving from Morocco. The travelers, a mother and her daughter, had just passed through the green exit designated for duty-free items when they were flagged down by a trainee customs officer, who was performing her duties as part of her training at the Duisburg customs office.
Discovery of Illicit Gold Jewelry
Upon scanning the travelers' luggage with an X-ray machine, customs officers detected multiple jewelry boxes within their bags. This prompted the officers to request the travelers to open their luggage for a more thorough inspection. During this examination, various purchase receipts for gold jewelry items were found, revealing that the two women were carrying gold bracelets and rings, purchased in Morocco, worth approximately €20,000 on their persons.
The value of the jewelry significantly exceeded the duty-free allowance of €430 per person for air travelers, meaning that the women were required to declare these items to customs upon entry. Due to their use of the green exit intended for duty-free goods, both travelers are now suspected of attempting tax evasion. Consequently, a tax offense procedure was initiated on-site, and the gold jewelry was confiscated as evidence. The potential tax loss from this incident is estimated to exceed €4,000.
As reported by nrz.de.
