Cash worth 18,6 million euros intercepted at the border

The Guardia di Finanza of Gorizia, in the context of cross-border currency controls, conducted through the monitoring of road traffic and border crossings, in the last five years, has contested 625 violations of the obligation to declare for those entering or leaving the national territory and transporting cash of an amount equal to or greater than 10.000 euros. The amount of money irregularly transported into or out of the State without a currency declaration was quantified at over 13 million Euros, while the resulting fines and related seizures allowed approximately 2,1 million Euros to enter the State coffers. The activity carried out by the Gdf also allowed for the recording of 927 cases of 'sub-threshold' cash transfers, i.e. for amounts below the threshold of 10.000 euros, for a total of over 5,6 million euros. The total amount of irregular and 'sub-threshold' transfers is over 18,6 million euros. The trend of violations is constantly increasing: from 50 violations in 2014 to 156 in 2018; while there are already 73 disputes in the first 8 months of 2019. These results – the financial police explain in a note – are the result of a risk analysis called 'Monitoro', which combined the study of the vehicular flow with the planning of controls on the Gorizia territory, through a rational distribution of patrols on the territory. The territorial control techniques used in a programmatic manner, according to the same criteria as the risk analysis, have allowed, in the last five years, to ascertain 625 currency violations, against various individuals: messengers (25) who crossed the border transporting cash on their own account or on behalf of third parties, frequenters of Slovenian gambling houses (63) often on board cars owned by the Slovenian casinos themselves, buyers of used cars, motorcycles and pleasure boats (163) mainly headed towards central-northern Italy, buyers of textile products (90) mainly headed towards the Tuscan districts, buyers of food products (27) headed towards the main fruit and vegetable markets in Northern Italy, foreign carers (28) who bring back to their countries of origin the earnings from the work carried out in Italy, tourists (208), other (21). The data collected during the checks also led to over two thousand reports sent to the competent Gdf Corps departments for possible administrative, tax and criminal offences. During customs inspections of vehicles and luggage, the financial police also used the anti-currency canine unit known as the "cash dog." The various techniques used by offenders to hide money include traditional concealment methods on the person (in shoes, socks, underwear, waistbands, etc.) and in cars (inside natural spaces such as drawers, armrests, and seatbacks, or in the rear speaker compartment), as well as the use of vacuum-packed plastic bags to reduce the volume of banknotes and thus evade the "cash dog" checks. The checks took place primarily at the main border crossings in Gorizia (Sant'Andrea, Casa Rossa, Salcano, San Gabriele, San Pietro, and Merna), as well as at the Villesse and Monfalcone motorway toll booths.