Three gold bars, worth about 1.5 million PLN, and a control that stopped illegal transport. At the border crossing in Krościenko, officers of the Podkarpackie National Tax Administration inspected a 46‑year‑old Ukrainian citizen entering Poland by car. The woman hid the gold under her clothing.
The traveler arrived for clearance at the Polish entry point. During the inspection, officers of the Customs and Tax Service from the Podkarpackie Customs Office in Przemyśl used a scanner intended for people screening. The device indicated the locations where the goods were concealed.
The officers found three kilogram gold bars. The woman had placed them in small packets hidden under her clothing. Their total value was estimated at about 1.5 million PLN.
The scale of this amount shows how much a single border check can change. The bars take up little space but represent a huge value.
The scanner gave the concealed goods an advantage
The gold was located directly on the body, under a layer of clothing, which was meant to make it hard to detect during clearance. The technology quickly changed the course of the inspection.
The scanner precisely pointed officers to the hiding spots of the bars. They did not have to rely solely on observation or chance. The device directed their attention exactly where the woman had placed the gold packets.
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The goods were secured for further proceedings, which are being handled by the Podkarpackie Customs Office in Przemyśl. In addition to the potential penalty for the Ukrainian citizen, officers also seized 23,400 € . One attempt to cross the border thus triggered a series of serious consequences: the gold was revealed, the goods were seized, proceedings began, and a substantial sum of money was secured.
The 10,000‑Euro border limit does not apply only to cash
The case from Krościenko reminds of the duty that covers far more than banknotes. Travelers entering or leaving the European Union must report to customs authorities the transport of monetary instruments when their total value equals or exceeds the equivalent of 10 000 €.
The regulations apply not only to cash. They also cover, among others, checks, promissory notes, money transfers, and gold in the form of bars. The absence of banknotes in luggage does not mean that the traveler is not carrying values subject to declaration.
Are you transporting cash, financial documents, or gold across the EU border? Check their total value and make a declaration before the hidden goods are flagged by the scanner.
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