Long lines at the Narva border crossing liven up smuggling

Smugglers attempted to exploit recent queues at the Narva crossing to move sanctioned goods and weapon parts across the border, the chief customs inspector at the Narva checkpoint said.
Head customs inspector at the Narva checkpoint Tatjana Zabalujeva told ERR that customs operations at the Narva border have returned to normal, and the long queues experienced around Midsummer Day are no longer an issue. However, customs continues to discover prohibited goods that people attempt to smuggle across the border daily.
"Every day we find goods hidden under outerwear. Various methods are devised – items are concealed in luggage or declared as tools, but in reality, we uncover more serious goods such as strategic items (goods that can be used for both military and civilian purposes)," Zabalujeva explained.
She noted that recently there were four incidents at the Narva border checkpoint where customs officers discovered weapon parts and other military goods during inspections.
"Recently, we had four cases where, during routine customs checks, we discovered strategic goods – namely weapon parts and military items that were not declared to customs. Our vigilant officers found these during regular inspections. As a result, the individuals and goods were detained, and the materials were handed over to the competent authority," said Zabalujeva.
Zabalujeva added that she could not comment on the cases in detail as the investigations are still ongoing.
Enforcing sanctions is a priority for the Tax and Customs Board (MTA), and the transport of any goods used for warfare to Russia is under particularly strict scrutiny, she noted.
"When we talk about goods coming from Russia to Estonia, these are mainly construction materials, navigation devices and other smart devices. Regarding goods transported from the European Union to Russia, these are primarily euro banknotes, luxury goods like fine wines, branded products, handbags, perfumes and car parts," listed Zabalujeva.
She clarified that the import of certain construction goods from Russia to Estonia is sanctioned, such as suspended ceilings, which are on the list of sanctioned goods.
"The list is actually very broad, and we recommend that everyone who wants to cross the border should check the information on the Tax and Customs Board's website beforehand. It is always possible to seek advice, call customs information and make sure before the trip that you are not carrying goods that are prohibited from leaving Estonia or entering Estonia."
Zabalujeva said that people also tried to use the long queues that formed around Midsummer Day to smuggle goods across the border, but the queues did not affect customs activities.
"Of course, those who want to exploit the situation will try, but we carry out our work purposefully and vigorously. If we suspect that people may be carrying [prohibited] goods in their luggage, we use routine customs checks as well as other tools available in our work. For example, we have dogs that search for narcotics and cash. We use various methods to detect sanctioned and prohibited goods."
Zabalujeva explained that if someone unknowingly brings prohibited goods, such as euro banknotes, to the border, customs will warn them and send them back. "If it is a deliberate act and the goods are hidden, and the person tries to conceal them during border crossing, we will detain the goods, and the act may result in criminal proceedings, as transporting sanctioned goods across the border is a crime. Accordingly, we will prepare the materials and forward them to the Internal Security Service (ISS) for a decision on whether to initiate criminal proceedings," she added.
On June 24, the European Union adopted its 14th sanctions package to tighten and strengthen restrictive measures against Russia. "In this regard, I recommend reviewing the new lists and changes before considering traveling to Russia," Zabalujeva noted.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski