Cologne (dpa/lnw) – During the summer holidays, customs confiscated more than 4.6 kilograms of smuggled gold jewelery with a total value of almost 220,000 euros from travelers at Cologne/Bonn Airport. The main customs office in Cologne announced on Wednesday that 66 criminal tax proceedings had been initiated. Instead of declaring the gold jewelery at customs, those returning from vacation hid it on their bodies or in their luggage.
A woman who came from Turkey with her two children had more than half a kilo of gold bracelets, necklaces and coins worth almost 30,000 euros in her luggage. For air travel from non-EU countries, however, only goods up to a value of 430 euros are free.
In addition, travelers had tried to smuggle prohibited weapons in eight cases. These included switchblades, brass knuckles and stun guns.
