Customs stops gold and coral smuggling at Hanover Airport!

Customs stops gold and coral smuggling at Hanover Airport!

At Hanover Airport, customs officers prevented several smuggling attempts on Monday. In a 43-year-old woman, over two kilograms of coral breakpieces were discovered. Together with her son, the woman had chosen the Green exit and stated that nothing to register. The lack of documents for the import of coral breakpieces violate the Washington Conservation Convention. The case is now being processed by the Federal Nature Conservation Office.

In another incident, another mother who came with her children from Turkey were found, gold jewelry worth over 13,000 euros. She also used the green exit and thus exceeded the freedom of travel, which led to tax damage of almost 3,000 euros. A tax criminal proceedings have been initiated.

species protection and corals

The incident raises important questions about the protection of endangered species. Corals are protected by various species protection measures worldwide. According to information from the Federal Office for Nature Conservation , a distinction is made between two types of coral rock: living stones and substrate. Living stones are large coral or rock blocks, which are usually covered with invertebrates and algae and are used for aquariums. The import or export of these living stones requires species protection permits.

substrate, on the other hand, that consists of smaller coral or rock pieces, is not subject to the same species protection law requirements. This has a significant impact on the trade and transport process of coral products.

-transmitted by West-Ost-Medien