Last week, customs officials in Svinesund reported over a dozen people transporting goods and personal effects from Sweden to Norway.
- These are people who have a van and take all kinds of goods with them to people living in Norway. This is section manager Per Kristian Grandahl in Svinesund speaking.
Usually people from Eastern European countries sit behind the wheel in so-called "cargo taxis", which means illegal, private transport of goods across the border.
These shipments are not a new phenomenon for customs officers at the largest border crossing point between Norway and Sweden.
In 2020, there were definitely more of them. According to Grandahl, the trend exploded in the weeks before Christmas.
- There are many who cannot travel to Sweden by themselves and then it may be natural. But lately, growth has been steep. She says there were many in the last week greedy smugglers.
. Many were checked
In addition, fines were imposed on Norwegians who traveled across the border to shop. The reason was that they were hauling too much back to Norway.
- When it comes to cargo taxis, they have it all. There are auto parts, furniture, meat, alcohol and cigarettes. Often they also have personal belongings. But if you want your personal belongings in the country to be duty free, the main rule is that you have to wear them yourself, says Grandahl.
Customs officials in Svinesund also received feedback that they noticed the same trend at the border crossing points in Ørje and Kongsvinger.
Time-consuming work
Cars filled with pictures and fake watches have been stopped in recent weeks.
One truck was loaded with up to half a ton of pork, and another was carrying five large tanks of gas, which is illegal to ship to and from Norway.
The persons who are detained, apart from being reported, have the goods seized. While there are many that have been discovered at the border, there are certainly more.
- There are probably some who manage to sneak past. We have a lot of them, but traveling through these transports is a long and very time-consuming task. There are cars that are loaded with a lot of different goods, says Grandahl.
