Customs at Vienna Airport: Records against drugs and smuggling

Customs at Vienna Airport: Records against drugs and smuggling

The controls included 101,000 inspections that extended to 44,000 passengers and 57,000 vehicles, packages and post shipments. Among the ensured items were 295 kilos of cannabis, a worrying increase of 225 kilos compared to the previous year. In addition, the customs authority recorded a drastic increase in cash contracts that rose from 1 million to 3.3 million euros. 170,000 cigarettes were ensured in eleven suitcases on three passengers from Cairo, which increased the cigarette intervention from 600,000 in 2023 to 1.6 million pieces in 2024.

increasing challenges from organized crime

The problem of organized crime, especially in the drug area, is a growing threat to the customs officers. According to a report by the Tagesschau, the Federal Government warns against an "tightened threat" Drug gangs. In particular, explosives attacks in North Rhine-Westphalia that are connected to drug conflicts have tightened the security situation.

The customs criminal office has already predicted an expansion of the cocaine sling to Baltic ports, while Hamburg customs officials have been able to ensure significant amounts of cocaine in the past. In 2023, 116 tons, 59 tons in Rotterdam and 35 tons of cocaine were confiscated in Rotterdam, which underlines the need for increased controls in the European port systems.

product piracy and secured goods

In addition to the drug procedures, cases of product piracy have also increased significantly. In 2024, customs were able to secure jewelry, textiles and watches with a total value of 2.5 million euros. 73,000 fake products were discovered, including 35,000 mobile phones and accessories with a value of 2 million euros, and 4,500 fake plush animals were destroyed. 15,000 cigars were ensured, which is a significant increase compared to only 2,400 pieces in the previous year.

The customs plans to buy two other X -ray systems for the examination of containers in the future in order to improve the detection of illegal goods. These measures are in the context of European efforts to combat drug trafficking as it is promoted by the SWP Berlin.

Allianz aims to harmonize the cooperation between European countries and the port authorities in order to develop more efficient strategies against organized drug trafficking. This joint efforts are intended to increase security in goods traffic in European ports, while increasing pressure due to drug crime remains a challenging reality.