Customs at Vienna Airport open huge smuggling!

Customs at Vienna Airport open huge smuggling!

A huge blow against the smuggling at the Vienna-Schwechat Airport: On October 31, 2024, customs was able to arrest three men during a comprehensive control, who went on the trip with an absurd high contingent of 170,000 cigarettes, 50 kilograms of shisha tobacco and 6,276 potency pills. These products were hidden in eleven overcrowded suitcases and are a record break in travel, such as customs team leader Roland Karner, who has been working at the airport since 1991. With such an intervention, the customs officers came on the offensive against the smuggling as part of their targeted risk analyzes, which Finance Minister Gunter Mayr praised as extremely professional success. The suspects, including a 61-year-old Italian, a 30-year-old Frenchman and a 49-year-old man, are now suspected of having made themselves punishable, which could lead to fines of up to 80,000 euros per person, such as meinbezirk.at reported.

preventive measures of customs

The use of customs shows how crucial preventive measures are in the fight against illegal trade. The Italian's luggage initially suspected. The review using X-rays quickly revealed that the cases were filled exclusively with cigarettes and shisha tobacco. When the other two men, who also belonged to the group, tried to escape the controls by wanting to store their suitcases in between, they were also discovered by the attentive customs officers. The illegal goods were also found in their luggage, which underlines the comprehensive strategies of customs to pry to smuggle backgrounds, such as Kurier reported.

This incident impressively shows that the customs authorities act effectively and purposefully against illegal goods traffic. With daily checks and technical support, it is possible not only to unmask the smugglers, but also to protect the legal markets. The success of the control is a strong signal against black trade and underlines the need to tough against such criminal activities.