
Customs officers at Vienna Airport have seized over 120 kilograms of narcotics and €1.2 million in undeclared cash in the first half of 2024, according to a press statement issued by airport authorities on Tuesday.
The officers conducted 20,972 inspections, resulting in around 2,500 seizures. These included approximately 15,000 items of counterfeit or illegal medication and more than six tonnes of animal products, including foodstuffs regulated under animal disease legislation.
Vienna Airport recently set a new record for passenger numbers, with 113,000 travellers in a single day.
Finance Minister Magnus Brunner commended the collaboration between Vienna Airport and the customs office during the press conference on Tuesday, a sentiment that was also shared by Vienna Airport board member Günther Ofner.
Despite the permitted allowance of 200 cigarettes per adult passenger, 570,000 smuggled cigarettes were intercepted over a six-month period. Among other discoveries, six live kittens were found and handed over to a rescue centre. Seizures also included four tonnes of meat and meat products, and 115 kilograms of fish and fish products. Officers also discovered a sculpture made from giraffe bone and ivory figurines. According to customs team leader Roland Karner, such finds are either used for training or destroyed.