Germany: Mother and daughter flying from Morocco caught with €20,000 in undeclared gold

Two women arriving from Morocco at Germany’s Weeze Airport are facing a tax evasion investigation after customs officers discovered nearly €20,000 worth of undeclared gold jewelry hidden in plain sight, worn openly by the passengers themselves.

Accoridng to media reports, the mother, 52, and daughter, 31, had arrived from Morocco and walked through the green channel for travelers with nothing to declare. But a German customs trainee became suspicious of the amount of gold jewelry the pair were wearing, despite the €430 per-person duty-free limit for jewelry entering Germany from non-EU countries.

A subsequent X-ray scan of their luggage uncovered additional jewelry boxes and purchase receipts for several gold items. German customs later estimated the total value of the bracelets and rings at around €20,000.

Authorities seized the gold and launched a criminal tax investigation against the two women, with German customs estimating the unpaid duties at more than €4,000.