The Directorate General of Customs (DGA) prevented the illegal entry of platinum coins and bars by a Japanese citizen through Ezeiza International Airport and seized them, it said in a statement today. The customs agency agents, in their usual checks, detected the illegal entry by a Japanese citizen of 327 platinum bars and 18 coins, three collector’s gold coins “of important historical and patrimonial value” and five new radiation detectors.
“I have some coins,” the individual said while answering the usual questions from customs after getting off a flight from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
When the bag went through the scanner, customs staff observed that the cargo “was much larger than the man had specified” and was found to be carrying “a large number of small packages.”
Then the agents decided to carry out a thorough inspection and found the numismatic objects, the value of which amounted to 114,059,961 dollars, which were subsequently seized.
The maneuver involves a violation of Article 977 of the Customs Code and the fine for the infringement could be more than $342 million, Customs said.
Source: Clarin
