Passenger arrested at seaport after hiding €36,040 in undeclared cash

A Serbian passenger was arrested at the Sicily Fast Ferry terminal after found to be carrying €36,040 in undeclared cash.

The passenger, who was travelling to Sicily, was stopped by Customs officials during the routine currency controls at the seaport terminal.

The passenger told officials that he had no money to declare but when he was escorted for a thorough search, he was found to be carrying €7,740.

A thorough search of his belongings and vehicle led to the discovery of €28,300, concealed in a backpack. €10,000 were returned to the passenger whilst the remaining amount was withheld.

The Police were duly informed and arrived on the scene to arrest the passenger. The withheld money was placed in a safety deposit.

In a separate case, ‘Gypsy’ the customs canine sniffed out $12,475 dollars equivalent to €10,640 and an extra €270 in undeclared cash on a Burmese passenger en-route to Istanbul.

The passenger was found to be carrying a total of €10,910 during the routine screening at the MIA departure lounge. The Burmese man was offered an out-of-court settlement to which he agreed to and signed and was administered a fine.