43,800 Euro in undeclared Cash discovered by Sophie the Sniffer Dog in two separate cases at the Seaport.
In the early hours of the morning, during checks at the Seaport by the Customs Anti-Money Laundering Team in conjunction with the Customs Canine Team, two passengers were selected for a currency check prior to boarding a ferry to Italy, following a positive indication by Canine Sophie on their vehicle.
During the said checks, both passengers were asked whether they are carrying any amounts of cash. Both admitted that they were carrying around 20,000 Euro. Following a thorough search on their person, their personal belongings and in their vehicle, 21,850 Euro and 21,950 Euro were elevated, from each respective passenger, a male and a female of French nationality.
Once again, in just a matter of days Canine Sophie has positively intercepted yet another 43,800 Euro in undeclared cash.
From the beginning of this year to date, the Customs Anti-Money Laundering Team alongside with the assistance of the Canine Team intercepted a total amount of 556,182 Euro of undeclared cash in 34 separate cases. With the global pandemic and its adverse effects on the Maltese Islands, Customs is still doing its best to defend the borders in the on-going battle when intercepting undeclared movements of cash.
As per national legislation, the passengers agreed to sign an out of court settlement agreement and were fined accordingly. Any cash or signed cheques valued 10,000 Euro or more, are to be declared to Customs when travelling to, through and from Malta. This is also applicable to all other EU countries