Customs officials, in conjunction with border police, have discovered several gold bars in the luggage of foreign citizens at Chisinau International Airport, reports IPN.

During the passenger check for the Chisinau – Gökçen (Turkey) flight, the joint team noticed several identical rectangular objects in the luggage of two travelers, which is why they were subjected to detailed checks.

In the luggage of a 32-year-old Jordanian citizen, two gold bars, weighing 100 and 20 grams respectively, were discovered, which the man had not declared to the customs authority. Another passenger, a 29-year-old Turkish citizen, had hidden three bars, each weighing 10 grams.

The legislation of the Republic of Moldova allows travelers to bring in or take out precious metals from the country, however these are declared to the Customs Service and are subject to taxes, regardless of their value. The exemption previously granted for five items made of precious metals was eliminated starting January 1, 2024.

Another smuggling attempt was uncovered this week at the Leușeni customs post. In a car whose driver claimed to have nothing to declare, customs officers discovered seven gold bars brought from Romania, estimated at 19 million lei.

Following the searches carried out in Chisinau, the alleged organizer of the smuggling was also detained. Both the driver and the suspect detained later were arrested for 30 days.