Lithuanians busted with two tonnes of illegal fish
The Local Norway - [email protected]
Published: 8 Apr, 2015 CET.
Updated: Wed 8 Apr 2015 09:47 CET
Two Lithuanian men were stopped over Easter attempting to smuggle more than two tonnes of contraband fish across the border from Sweden to Norway in what is thought to be the country’s largest ever seizure of illegal fish.
The two men, one of whom was in his 40s and the other in his 50s, were stopped in their van on the Swedish side of the border at Bjørnfjell.
When their van was searched, customs officers found 50 crates of various fish including cod, halibut and haddock, weighing a total of 2,200 kg.
“I've worked in customs and excise for 23 years and I can not remember having heard of such a large single seizure,” Thore Simenstad, a press officer for Norwegian customs told NRK.
He said that the men had tried to run away but were caught after managing to get only one kilometre back into Sweden.
He said that the men had been fined 20,000 Swedish Kroner and stripped of their contraband cargo before being released to complete their journey.
Fish smuggling is big business at the Norwegian border, with 5.5 tonnes of illegal fish seized by customs in 2014 and seven tonnes in 2013.
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The two men, one of whom was in his 40s and the other in his 50s, were stopped in their van on the Swedish side of the border at Bjørnfjell.
When their van was searched, customs officers found 50 crates of various fish including cod, halibut and haddock, weighing a total of 2,200 kg.
“I've worked in customs and excise for 23 years and I can not remember having heard of such a large single seizure,” Thore Simenstad, a press officer for Norwegian customs told NRK.
He said that the men had tried to run away but were caught after managing to get only one kilometre back into Sweden.
He said that the men had been fined 20,000 Swedish Kroner and stripped of their contraband cargo before being released to complete their journey.
Fish smuggling is big business at the Norwegian border, with 5.5 tonnes of illegal fish seized by customs in 2014 and seven tonnes in 2013.
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