Millions-worth of jewellery found in passenger’s luggage at Moscow airport

Customs officers at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport seized nearly 1,000 pieces of silver jewellery worth 5 million rubles (about $60,000) from a passenger arriving from China, according to Russia’s Federal Customs Service. 

The jewellery was found in the luggage of a 40-year-old foreign national who had arrived from Guangzhou, TASS reports.

The man was stopped in the green channel during a random inspection. According to the agency, an X-ray scan of his luggage revealed 965 pieces of jewellery packed in zip bags. The passenger explained that the items were intended for personal use.

“An examination established that the jewellery was made of 925 sterling silver with cubic zirconia inserts,” the statement said.

A criminal case has been opened under Part 1 of Article 226.1 of Russia’s Criminal Code, concerning the smuggling of strategically important goods. The article provides for a penalty of up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 1 million rubles (about $11,860).

Russia’s Federal Customs Service explained that goods for personal use are items intended for personal, family, household and other needs unrelated to business activities. “At the same time, customs officials rely not only on the passenger’s own statement; they also take into account the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the items being transported, as well as how frequently the individual crosses the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union,” the agency noted.

By Jeyhun Aghazada