Belarusian couple fined 17,500 euros out of nowhere at the French-Swiss border
The border practically doesn't exist. But Switzerland is not in the European Union, and they were traveling with cash. This means they brought money into the EU without declaring it.
As the regional newspaper L'Alsace reports, French customs officers stopped a Belarusian couple back on August 17, 2022, at the French-Swiss border.
The man is 40 years old and his wife is 39 years old. They were traveling from Switzerland in a "Mercedes" and were checked at customs. 11,925 euros were found in the car.
Why was there a check at all? Switzerland is part of the Schengen Area, but not the EU customs union, so customs control operates at its border with France.
The money was not declared, although according to EU rules, all amounts from 10,000 euros must be declared.
In addition, the EU's sanctions regulation against Belarus, adopted in connection with Russia's war against Ukraine, prohibits the export of euros to Belarus. As the customs representative explained in court, Belarusian citizens traveling in the European Union can only carry cash necessary for their journey: fuel, food, and accommodation. The amount in the couple's car was significantly larger.
The husband and wife explained at customs that they were returning from a vacation in Spain, and the money was supposedly being carried to buy a car in Germany. "This plan to buy a car was not confirmed by anything," the customs representative stated in court.
Moreover, a customs service dog found a gram of marijuana in the trunk of the "Mercedes." This became the third charge: smuggling of a product dangerous to health.
The case became known now, more than four years later. On October 15, 2026, the Mulhouse Criminal Court heard the case in absentia and granted the customs' demands. It confiscated the discovered money and imposed three fines on the Belarusians:
- 11,925 euros for exporting euros to Belarus;
- 5,587 euros for not declaring an amount exceeding 10,000 euros;
- 10 euros for marijuana.
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