Nearly 70 attempts to smuggle large undeclared sums out of Moldova detected this year
There has been an increase in attempts to withdraw large sums of money from the Republic of Moldova without declaring them to customs, as required by law. Customs officers documented 68 such cases in the first 10 months of this year, 35 more than the total reported for the entire previous year. In 18 of these cases, the amounts exceeded 400,000 lei, leading to the initiation of criminal cases. Additionally, 50 individuals were sanctioned for contraventions.
In criminal cases, significant amounts of money have been detected, ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of euros or dollars. Examples include $30,000, $38,650, $62,500, $45,400, €39,500, €33,550, and €48,000, as stated in a response provided by the Customs Service at the request of Teleradio-Moldova.
In addition to the more commonly used currencies—dollars and euros—large sums have also been found in Moldovan lei, Romanian lei, Ukrainian hryvnia, and Russian rubles, either in luggage or on individuals.
Most of the individuals involved in attempts to illegally transport currency were Ukrainian citizens. However, citizens from the Republic of Moldova, Azerbaijan, the United States, and Romania have also been found among the offenders.
The Customs Service noted, "A significant portion of these cases involves Ukrainian citizens, but this information is strictly statistical and not linked to any political or social context. The distribution of these cases reflects the diversity of nationalities among travelers, with the higher number of Ukrainian citizens primarily attributed to a lack of familiarity with the customs regulations of the Republic of Moldova, including the requirement to declare funds."
The customs authority advises citizens to educate themselves before crossing the border regarding the amounts of money they plan to carry and to comply with the established rules. Specifically, travelers are required to declare in writing any amount of €10,000 or more (or the equivalent in other currencies) per person when crossing the border, whether entering or exiting the Republic of Moldova.
Any amounts exceeding €10,000 that are not declared and are detected by customs officers will be confiscated.
To prevent violations and assist travelers, customs authorities continually implement preventive measures, including risk analysis, intensified controls, and ongoing staff training to detect illegally transported money and verify the authenticity of banknotes in accordance with international standards.
