As a crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, the customs office at Zurich airport happened, he had to find that the Swiss laws also apply to noble families. Pavlos was on the way to St. Moritz, where he took part in the Cresta Run part. At the port of entry, he had a so-called Shahtoosh shawl, made from fibers of the protected Tibetan antelope. The wool of the Tibetan antelope is the warmest and softest in the world – and forbidden. For a scarf, several of the rare animals to be killed. Pavlos was fined for his luxury scarf of the customs administration (FCA) of 1800 francs.

It is one of more than 300 criminal commands, the lawyers of the Directorate General of customs (DGC) in 2018 have been issued. The documents show how contraband is being introduced in Switzerland, and as a Criminal at customs trick. The DGC-cases do not represent the entire smuggling in Switzerland, since smaller cases are handled at customs.

Are prohibited: Shahtoosh scarves. Photo:

In the case of the Shahtoosh scarves by the customs administration together with the Federal food safety and veterinary focus controls. This would be carried out mainly at the border crossings, “in which affluent clientele, it is expected,” as Miriam Walker from the FCA says. Such checks would take place mainly between September and March. The criminal commands suggest that, in Germany, the glamorous St. Moritz, a Shahtoosh-is Hotspot. Multiple luxury scarf makers were fined at the airport of Samedan, five kilometres from St. Moritz.

Also in other luxury item, the customs officials, who knew no mercy: Beluga caviar is considered to be one of the most expensive foods in the world. Because the Beluga Sturgeon are threatened with extinction, may only be caviar that meets the requirements of the species protection Convention Cites-breeding imported. No seal had a 7,25 kilos of Beluga caviar, which wanted to introduce a Ukrainians in Geneva. The investigators lost him with 16 to 100 francs.

students now benefit from art forgery

Prone to trickery, the art area is. A case related to Wolfgang Beltracchi, the most clever art forgers of the postwar era. As a criminal command, went for the Geneva gallery “Interart” on the millions of scammers Beltracchi. You bought the picture “La forêt”, which had spent Beltracchi as the work of German artist Max Ernst.

The customs administration decided last year to pass the Beltracchi forgery in the school of criminal Sciences University of Lausanne. There, students should learn now, on the basis of the “La forêt”, which has been found by experts to be genuine, to detect counterfeits. Beltracchi had used when Creating the painting, apparently, color pigments, it was the end of the 20s. Also, on the basis of the label, you would have the fake may realize, says spokeswoman Geraldine Falbriard.

more Often than counterfeit, customs officials have to do with images, in which a lower purchase price is specified, in order to save the customs money. Thus, the image of the “Face off came” by Eric Fischl with a true value of about 840’000 francs to the alleged value of 250’000 Swiss francs in Switzerland. Particularly brazen, a Moscow art historian behaved in this respect. They traveled to the airport in Zurich, you have nothing to declare. Customs agents were subsequently 23 oil Painting to the value of over 900’000 Swiss francs.

The horse smuggler with the Porsche

Also before the Almighty, the customs officials do not Stop. An employee of a Valais monastery has imported from France and the Netherlands, various religious artifacts that were declared to be too low a price.

The criminal commands also show that the customs investigators, many meat smugglers. Restaurateurs can save money by buying tons of meat in the neighbouring countries and to undeklariert introduce in Switzerland.

Also prohibited: caviar black sturgeon. Photo:

The largest Fund, the customs investigators made in November, in Schmitter SG. In the case of three Serbian nationals 978 kilograms of meat were, and 113 kilogram of fresh cheese has been confiscated. For the smuggling of meat were neither a Declaration of Origin nor labelling. The case is not yet closed, the FCA, however, speaks already, that the smugglers will have to reckon with a “sensitive buses”.

Also, with the live animals themselves, the customs investigators. Several horse dealers brought horses in Switzerland, to declare without them. In particular, a horse trader, the introduced with Porsche, and a horse Transporter, a total of 34 horses with names like Stradivari or Little Joe duty-free in Switzerland.

(Sunday newspaper)

Created: 17.02.2019, 16:43 PM