Western Romania: 42 undeclared gold bars found in luggage at Timișoara Airport

Border authorities at Timișoara’s Traian Vuia International Airport discovered 42 gold bars in the luggage of a 62-year-old Romanian man traveling to Jakarta, Indonesia. The gold, weighing 2.8 kilograms and valued at approximately RON 1.12 million, was not declared to customs at the time of departure.

“On December 9, 2024, at the Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport Border Crossing Point, a 62-year-old Romanian citizen traveling in the direction of Jakarta - Indonesia, presented to the representatives of an airline company to register his trip and hand over his checked baggage. At the check-in, the person in question did not declare anything about his goods,” reads the statement from the Romanian Border Police.

Suspicious of the situation, a team of border police officers and customs agents conducted a detailed search of his checked baggage. In the process, they found 28 gold bars weighing 50 grams each and 14 gold bars weighing 100 grams each, all marked as gold but undeclared, violating customs regulations.

The gold bars were confiscated for further examination, and a criminal case for smuggling was opened.

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