The court punished the man, named as Sergei, for illicit trafficking with a jail sentence of six months, 15 days of which he had to serve immediately. The rest of his sentence was handed to him as a conditional sentence with a probation period of one year.

As an additional punishment, Sergei was expelled from Estonia and handed a five-year entry ban.

Cash in the amount of €130,300 and 5,200 Russian rubles found and seized during the man's arrest was also confiscated along with the court ruling.

Viru District Prosecutor Rita Hlebnikova said that the 68-year old entered the European Union customs territory from the Russian Federation via the Narva border crossing point on December 27 of last year. Cash to the total amount of €130,373.48 was found hidden in his socks during a customs inspection.

Hlebnikova said: "Current law allows for the transport of cash in the amount of up to €10,000 across the border of the customs territory of the European Union without being declared. Starting from €10,000, the money must be properly declared. Persons who smuggle large quantities of cash, that is over €40,000, illegally across the border will be prosecuted. The Penal Code states that this is a case of illicit traffic, which may be punishable with a fine or imprisonment of up to three years and the confiscation of the cash."

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