It’s that time of year again, when the annual holiday party season boosts demand for wine, liquor and beer. That kept customs inspectors busy at the border crossing at Svinesund over the weekend, where seizures hit a new record.
The customs inspectors seized more than 6,000 liters of alcoholic beverages, with Saturday the busiest day. “We’ve never seized so much on a weekend before,” customs chief Wenche Fredriksen told newspaper Moss Avis.
She said the smugglers were virtually lined up. “They came one right after another and were stopped one right after another, too,” Fredriksen said.
One Norwegian man, for example, was stopped and cited for failing to declare 1,133 liters of beer and 1,114 liters of liquor found in his truck. Shortly afterwards, five persons from Poland were stopped and found to each be trying to smuggle in 2,742 liters of beer and 143 liters of liquor.
With prices for alcoholic beverages as much as 40 percent cheaper in Sweden than in Norway, even more Norwegians than usual are driving over the border to do some holiday shopping. Fredriksen indicated they’d face inspection on their way home, and face trouble if they try to bring back more than the allowed amounts.
“We have boosted staffing, so folks can expect that we’ll standing here and several other places moreso than otherwise in the year,” she said.
Views and News staff
