In early April, a Norwegian-registered vehicle with two people was stopped by customs officers after passing a border crossing in Eastern Norway.
The vehicle and the people in the car were taken to a local customs office for inspection. In the car, the customs officials made a startling discovery. There they found several plastic bags with stacks of Swedish banknotes.
In total, approximately SEK 4.2 million was found.
– The mode and size of the seizure indicate that organized criminal networks are behind the smuggling, says director of customs Øystein Børmer to VG.
Criminals are affected
According to the Norwegian Customs Authority, this is one of the largest currency seizures in Norwegian history, i.e. seizure of money.
In their overview of the last ten years, only three currency seizures are larger.
One of approximately NOK 11 million in 2016, one of approximately NOK 30 million in 2022, and one of approximately five million last year.
– This is one of the largest currency seizures in Norwegian history. The criminals’ drive is almost always profit. By preventing the flow of money, we hit the criminal networks where it hurts the most, Børmer continues.
The persons were arrested, and the matter has been reported to the police, who are in charge of the further investigation.
Director of Customs
Less lucrative
The Norwegian Customs Service says that it is mainly criminal networks with a great need for money laundering that are behind currency smuggling in the country.
They say the money is often used to maintain criminal activity, or commit new criminal acts, such as financing terrorism or new drug and weapon purchases.
– Such currency seizures make it less lucrative to conduct drug trafficking or other crimes against Norway. The more we manage to uncover such currency smuggling, the less attractive Norway becomes for foreign criminals, says Børmer further.
The Norwegian Customs Service estimates that cash worth several billion kroner is smuggled into Norway every year.
– These are huge amounts. The low risk of being caught and low penalties in combination with increasingly innovative ways of smuggling currency make this a significant challenge for the Norwegian Customs Board, says the director of customs.
This seizure is the second major currency seizure in a short time. In March, vigilant customs officers on Ørne stopped a person who tried to smuggle a total of NOK 1.4 million hidden in a package of nappies.
It’s not just cash that the customs office finds, see what they found in this scented candle in April:
Sharpens the fight
Last week, the Norwegian Customs Authority received NOK 118 million from the government to intensify the fight against the importation of drugs into Norway.
According to the Norwegian Customs Union, several times it has been out and warned about the situation, both in the port of Oslo and on a national basis.
