Gasbar, the currency dog, sniffs his way through the rows of travelers at Gardermoen. – He smells like money, says dog handler Annichen Høiby in the Customs Department. Dog handler in the Customs Department Annicken Høiby. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news Their job is to find cash that is illegally leaving the country. – Now we have been on an outbound flight to Spain. We have searched for people and hand luggage that they have with them, to see if we can find money, says Høiby. A person is stopped. What has Gasbar smelled? Before we see what the currency dog has found, we will see why a dog has a job at Gardermoen. He is an important part of the work the Norwegian Customs Service does to stop criminal money. Billions over the borders – We believe that most of the cash that goes out of Norway today, which is not declared, is profit from various forms of crime, says Økokrim chief Pål Lønseth. The problem of currency smuggling is so great that Økokrim is now joining forces with the police in Sweden, Denmark and Finland to fight criminals. – On Norway’s part, we are talking about eight billion every single year that goes out of the country, where to a large extent we are talking about the black economy, says Lønseth. Økokrim chief Pål Lønseth points to the smuggling of cash as a major societal problem. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news The aim of the smuggling is to launder the money, says Økokrim. – If you have a great need to transport legal cash out of Norway, it is natural that you declare it. As for black money, of course no one wants to declare it, says Lønseth. news has previously shown how Norwegian banknotes have ended up in a village in north-east Syria. On a round trip In a joint report, Nordic police authorities deal with the use of cash in the criminal economy. The conclusions are: Criminals collaborate across national borders to hide financial gains from crime. Criminal groups take advantage of differences in national legislation and restrictions relating to cash withdrawals and declaration obligations. This enables them to move their money to countries where they are less likely to be exposed. Despite the fact that the Nordic countries are among the most digitized in the world, the cash holdings are stably high. – Why do criminals use cash? – Cash has the characteristic that it cannot be traced. It is easy to use even in the black economy. And that means that cash is still very attractive as a means of payment among criminals. This is how Norwegian cash is sent on a round trip: First, banknotes are sent out of Norway, without this being registered. The notes often end up in the Middle East, where they are exchanged for dollars or a local currency. The money changers then go to banks with the money. The notes are then collected at the banks’ European head office. The notes are then brought back to Norway, usually via value carriers. This round trip makes it almost impossible to trace where the money first came from. The authorities are trying to keep track of notes that cross the border. All amounts over NOK 25,000 that are going into or out of the country must be declared. This is free. The Nordic countries have five different currencies. This gives the Nordic countries an advantage when cash is to be traced, say Økokrim and the police in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Cooperation on the border According to the police authorities, the border between Norway and Sweden is well suited for criminals to smuggle cash, weapons and drugs. The land border is long and the surrounding areas are often sparsely populated. There are many roads between Norway and Sweden. This forest road runs between Kongsvinger and the Swedish border. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo As part of Nordic cooperation, Sweden and Norway opened a joint police station this year. – You are now part of a Nordic collaboration. What does this entail? – We are quite similar and can work together to look at what solutions and measures we should implement to stick sticks in the wheels of the criminal economy. Even if they cooperate, each country must take its own measures, says Lønseth. – The most important thing is the measures that the banks themselves have taken. They have become much more restrictive in accepting large amounts of cash from abroad. Several tens of millions of NOK in Norwegian banknotes were found in this truck. It was stopped in Sweden. Had too much Back at Gardermoen, the man Gasbar takes an interest in is taken to a cubicle. There, customs official Bjørn Einar Saugerud checks the man’s luggage. – We did not find any large sums, 200-300 euros. It is well within what you can freely bring with you, says Saugerud. Dog handlers Annicken Høiby and Gasbar are waiting, while customs officer Bjørn Einar Saugerud checks a passenger’s luggage. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news After a break for Gasbar, it is time to check another departure. Here the currency dog becomes curious about one of the travelers. The man is taken into a cubicle. In the luggage, the customs officers find 3150 dollars. This corresponds to almost NOK 35,000. – We don’t think it’s criminal money, but you should have filled in a form. If you haven’t done it, there will be a fine today, says Høiby to the man. In this man’s luggage, customs officials find money that should have been declared. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news The man with the money says he was going to visit his family in the Middle East. – Did you know about the rules? – No, I don’t understand the rules, because it’s the first time I’m traveling out of Norway, the man replies. In the course of one day, Gasbar, Annicken Høiby and Bjørn Einar Saugerud control several planes. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news – Criminal acts Every year, customs officials stop tens of millions of kroner in cash, which is illegally on its way out of the country. – Why is this job important? – You want to have control over the flow of money in and out of Norway. It goes to the black economy, drug money, other types of criminal acts that result in cash, says Saugerud. Customs officer Bjørn Einar Saugerud. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news Published 12.11.2024, at 06.59 Updated 12.11.2024, at 07.10
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New money collaboration – this muzzle will stop criminals – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
