AADE: 'Black money' in bags and contraband – the most shocking violations discovered

A total of 97,600 customs checks were carried out during 2023 at AADE levels and fines amounting to €193,590,427 were confirmed, representing a 5.8% increase in the total number of checks and quantities of alcohol and fuel confirmed compared to the previous year.

Illicit drinks and prohibited cigarettes

An example of this is the arrest of illegal solvent solvents that evaded duties and taxes worth more than 550,000 euros, a success in customs control that resulted from the use of information derived from a transnational operational action to combat liquid fuel counterfeiting.

The successes of the customs audit during the fourth quarter were as follows:

Undeclared cash available

AADE customs auditors set out to locate and seize large sums of money. Specifically at EL Venizelos Airport, although it was not declared at customs, the following was found:

• 17,000.00 euros for the passenger who arrived from Istanbul,

• 48,500.00 Euros for the passenger arriving from Tirana,

• 4,500.00 Euros and 22,200.00 US dollars for the passenger who arrived from Dubai,

• 38,000.00 euros for the passenger who arrived from Istanbul,

• 76,200 euros for a passenger arriving from Lebanon.

The above amounts of money were held for further monitoring during the scheduled action and fines totaling €46,507.00 and $5,550 were imposed.

Accordingly, at Macedonia Airport, although it was not declared to customs, the following was found:

• 10,310.00 euros for the passenger who arrived from Istanbul,

• 22,065.00 euros for a passenger who arrived from Istanbul,

• 9,000.00 US dollars and 4,705.00 Euros for the passenger who arrived from Tel Aviv,

• EUR 10,750.00, AED 1,500.00 HAE and RUB 42,600.00 for the passenger who arrived from Istanbul,

• 34,350.00 EUR and 23,700.00 USD for the passenger who was about to depart from Thessaloniki to Istanbul.

The financial amounts that were not declared to customs in violation of the relevant provisions were frozen, and the prescribed procedures were followed.

In addition, at Garden Customs, during the inspection of a bus belonging to the Greek authorities, which was traveling on the regular route Thessaloniki – Istanbul – Thessaloniki, when entering our country from Turkey, AADE auditors identified the amount of 263,300.00 euros and 10 gold pounds. . The above-mentioned amount was confiscated and a fine of €68,463.00 was imposed on the bus driver.

Smuggled tobacco products

1. Three (3) containers attempted to be imported into the 3rd Customs Center in Piraeus from Turkey and India containing prohibited cigarettes and manufactured tobacco were seized by AADE Customs Inspectors, with corresponding duties and taxes amounting to €8,481,829.94. The suspicious containers were identified, after taking advantage of information received from the agency's Operations Coordination Center, using the X-RAY system, which gave an indication of the possible presence of tobacco, as well as with the assistance of security services. Tobacco detection dog “Jolene” of customs.

2. One (1) container from Vietnam, with a final consignee in Greece, which instead of declared goods, stated as barges, contains 6,500,000 cigarettes, for which duties and taxes amount to 1,317,357.56 Euros. In this case, the monitoring was conducted in cooperation with Attica SDOE and with the assistance of a smoke detector dog, Diablo.
In all the above cases, further investigations are being carried out to identify the persons and companies involved, as well as any imminent imports.

3. During the inspection, AADE customs inspectors found that the driver and the owner of a truck belonging to the Serbian authorities attempted to import into the European Union 1,436 boxes containing seven hundred and eighteen thousand (718,000) packages containing fourteen million three hundred and sixty thousand (14,360,000) pieces of cigarettes carrying Different brands, and submit a transit document at Kakavia Customs, declaring a company not present in Cyprus as the consignee. The fees and taxes corresponding to the quantity of confiscated cigarettes mentioned above are equivalent to two million eight hundred and two thousand one hundred and fifty-nine euros and ninety cents (2,802,159.90 euros).

Illegal alcoholic products and distillation equipment

1. Finding fifty (50) bags of 20 liters each, containing an alcoholic beverage, a total quantity of 1,000 litres, without distillery licenses and invoices – shipping receipts, AADE customs inspectors took action, after an inspection at the port of Akantia in Rhodes during the arrival of the passenger ship . The quantity was seized and the legality of its production and possession is being verified.

2. AADE Customs inspectors proceeded to locate and confiscate two hundred and ten (210) liters of bulk alcoholic beverages, which a regular bus passenger, with license plates issued by the Albanian authorities, attempted to import into Greece, after carrying out an inspection at Kakavia Customs. As defined by the competent chemical service, it is a distilled alcoholic product with an alcoholic strength of 48.1%. The corresponding duties and taxes correspond to eight hundred and sixty-one euros and thirty-six cents (€861.36).

3. During a search of a warehouse, near a restaurant, in the remote mountainous settlement of Epirus, the following was identified and confiscated:

(a) Copper still without possession permit and without AGM (boiler, cap, brush, bracket) for preparation – distillation of a small distillery product for two days, with a capacity of 100 litres, which at the time of the examination was inactive.

(b) One thousand seven hundred and three and a half (1,703.50) liters of two-day bulk hydrate microdistillates (“distillates”), which were found in a large tank, 3 plastic drums, 2 oak barrels, and 27 plastic drums. Bottles for which corresponding distillery licenses or any other document justifying legal origin, possession and payment of corresponding duties and taxes are not shown.

After following all prescribed procedures, the strength of the alcohol was determined and then the relevant customs duties were calculated by the relevant customs, amounting to twenty-two thousand six hundred and thirty euros and ten cents (22,630.10 euros). Based on the order of the competent prosecution, the automated procedure was followed and the case file was immediately saved. The owner was arrested and brought before the district attorney of Thesprotia.

Counterfeit items

1. AADE inspectors at Eleusina Customs considered a container coming from China and destined for Greece via Germany, carrying a declared load of Christmas decorations to be suspicious.

After conducting a comprehensive physical examination of the containers that were carrying, rather than Christmas decorations, they found 290,268 pieces of counterfeit Chinese products, which were subsequently seized and confiscated. In particular, the following were seized and controlled:

• 288,000 pieces – refillable lighters from a well-known company

• 1,510 pieces of branded hats

• 758 pairs of designer shoes

The estimated commercial value of the seized goods on the market is estimated at one million euros (1,000,000 euros).

These products will be destroyed in accordance with the established procedures, and the prescribed penalties and fines related to them will be imposed.

2. AADE Customs auditors, while inspecting one of the containers at the Third Customs Building in Piraeus, identified and seized 79,552 pieces of counterfeit clothing (work clothes, shirts, blouses, pants, etc.) of different brands, originating in China.

fuel

AADE customs inspectors closed a gas station in the Nice area. According to the relevant documents of general chemistry, the obtained sample containing 100 RON of unleaded gasoline was found to be irregular and adulterated with 95 RON of unleaded gasoline.

The infrastructure that has been closed is:

• One (1) pump and eight (8) nozzles

• (5) fuel tanks

• Good remote filling

The amount of adulterated fuel at the time of the on-site inspection was 140 liters of AMO 100 RON gasoline.

Pitsilis: Raising the level of performance of Greek customs

AADE Governor, Giorgos Pitselis, stated on the occasion of the above-mentioned report: “In 2023, we dedicatedly continued the efforts to constantly improve the performance of Greek Customs with new steps to facilitate trade, as well as to serve citizens and companies with fast and simple customs procedures. We have constantly sought international cooperation and obtained External information about our agencies.At the same time, we have developed the operational capacity of the Customs Service by training capabilities and modernizing enforcement methods for better and more effective controls.

source: Ot.gr