Customs Administration of Macedonia prevented an attempt to illegally transport half a million euros hidden inside a specially constructed compartment in a minibus at the Tabanovce Border Crossing border crossing.
According to Boban Nikolovski, this is the largest foreign currency seizure in the institution’s history, carried out by the Sector for Control and Investigations through the Department for Operational Affairs.
Authorities said the minibus, owned by a tourist agency from Albania, was stopped while entering the country with seven passengers on board.
The vehicle was driven by an Albanian citizen identified by the initials J.G., against whom legal proceedings have been initiated. The Basic Court in Kumanovo has already issued a ruling in the case.
The operation involved a mobile customs team, a K9 unit, and the mobile scanner service.
Customs officers noticed modifications on the vehicle, after which a customs dog signaled the possibility of smuggling.
The suspicions were confirmed after the minibus was scanned, prompting inspectors to open the hidden compartment where they discovered 14 transparent bags containing a total of €500,000.
“The operation was carried out quickly and efficiently, and the mobile team immediately noticed the modifications on the vehicle thanks to their experience,” Nikolovski said, adding that every attempt at illegal cross-border cash transport will be sanctioned most strictly.
The seized money and the vehicle have been permanently confiscated, and in accordance with the law, the funds were handed over to the Agency for Seized Property before being deposited in the National Bank.