Smuggling of foreign cash continues despite sanctions
Man hided €5,000 from Norwegian customs, but was caught in Russia.
Customs officials at Borisoglebsk border check point discovered a hidden compartment containing €5,050 in the car of a man travelling from Finland, via Norway, to Russia's Murmansk region. Regional media identified the man as a Russian citizen with residency in Finland.
The 64-year-old man had concealed the money because he feared it would be seized by Norwegian customs officers, the news website B-Port reports.
He left Norway without the money being discovered.
As a rule, the sanctions against Russia imposed by the EU since 2022 prohibit export of cash funds to Russia. The ban does not impose any minimum threshold in terms of amounts in euros. However, according to instructions for interpreting the sanctions published by the EU Commission, for example carrying cash to Russia for personal use should be subject to a narrow interpretation.
€5,000 is way more than aimed at covering personal travel costs.
Russia allows for import of up to 100,000 US dollars in cash, but the person will need to provide documents confirming the cash origin. And, the money has to be declared.
The man that drove to Russia from Norway did not declared the cash. Customs officials at Borisoglebsk inspected his car and discovered what their Norwegian colleagues did not see. One inspector noticed signs that a compartment beneath the spare-wheel shelf had been tampered with: the bolts showed signs of wear. The customs officer opened the compartment and discovered the cash hidden beneath a piece of felt. It consisted of 99 €50 notes and one €100 note, carefully wrapped in a plastic bag.
The man explained that he had simply forgotten to declare the concealed currency when passing through the red channel. An administrative case was subsequently opened for violations of the customs regulations.
Importantly, the man is not being penalised simply for bringing undeclared cash across the border, but for concealing it. This was classified as ‘obstructing detection during customs control’. The case has now been referred to court, and the man faces a fine and/or confiscation of the concealed money.
Barents Observer contacted the head of the Storskog border crossing, through which the man had left Norway, for comment.
"We pay close attention to what is being transported across the border at Storskog," said Liselotte Erke. "The sanctions regime against Russia is an important part of our inspection work at this border crossing. Travellers are subject to extensive checks both when leaving for Russia and when entering Norway from Russia."
Erke said the authorities were not aware of the specific details surrounding the discovery of the €5,050 hidden in the car. She added that, due to confidentiality obligations, they do not normally comment on individual cases reported in the media.
Anyone leaving Norway will have to get customs clearance for any amount of cash larger than 25,000 Norwegian kroner (about €2,370).
Erke also pointed out that both Norwegian kroner and euros are covered by the sanctions regime against Russia.
This means that carrying a large amount of cash across the border does not, in itself, automatically constitute a breach of sanctions. Nevertheless, Erke stressed: "The sum of €5,000 is significantly above the permitted limit, so it must be formally declared when leaving the country."
During the first seven months of 2026, Murmansk Customs opened 920 cases under violations of customs regulations. This represents an increase of 277 cases, or 43 per cent, compared with the same period last year.
When Barents Observer asked which types of violations Russian customs officers most frequently detect and prevent, the press office did not respond. Instead, our email was blocked for ‘security reasons’.
