Brussels Airport has confiscated more money in the first five months of 2019 than it did in all of 2018.
Until the end of May, 32,000 inspections were conducted at customs, which led to 184 violations found, Het Laatste Nieuws reports. The amount of money discovered — 1.5 million euros — is more than what was found in 2018 (1.2 million euros).
Anyone who enters or exits the European Union with 10,000 euro or more in cash must declare it at customs in an effort to prevent money laundering and crime being financed.
The amount of drugs discovered at customs may also be on the rise. 83.4 kilos of drugs were seized in the first five months of the year, while 146.7 kilos were seized in all of 2018.
There has also been an increase in customs officers. From 2016, the number of customs officer has grown from 59 to 94.
Sam Nelson
The Brussels Times
