What does a typical day for Dijon customs officers look like? France Bleu Bourgogne takes you behind the scenes of this profession after having followed a morning in immersion by their side. The service begins first with a briefing. The agents, divided into three in two cars, know at that moment which portion of the road they will have to monitor, control. Once the instructions are given, the agents hit the road.
Two Dijon customs officers monitor the flow of cars along one of the department’s motorways © Radio France – Charlotte Schuhmacher
“Once posted on the side of the road, we try to identify vehicles or drivers who may be suspicious”explains Thomas*, customs controller. “We are very attentive to the loading of vehicles too, which can be a clue.” If customs officers spot a suspicious vehicle, they chase it and escort it to the next motorway service area. The driver is then checked, as well as his vehicle. “What we find most here are drugs (cannabis or cocaine) and tobacco”, says Thomas. In 2021, 104 tons of drugs and 649 tons of tobacco were seized by Dijon customs officers. In 2022, 11 million counterfeit items have been seized.
A team of customs officers check goods from a truck on a motorway aid near Dijon © Radio France – Charlotte Schuhmacher Dijon customs officers list the counterfeit items found in the truck © Radio France – Charlotte Schuhmacher
But checks do not necessarily always lead to seizures. “Finding the right vehicle that would transport illegal goods among this flow of cars on the roads is like looking for a needle in the middle of a haystack”quips Thomas.
More complicated work during the holidays
If customs officers have to react as quickly as possible in the event of suspicion, it is not always easy, especially during holiday periods. The overcrowding of the roads makes their work a little more complicated. To help them, their biker colleagues lend them a hand with certain checks.
loading
Customs officers on motorbikes are a precious help for their colleagues in cars, to get around the roads more quickly © Radio France – Charlotte Schuhmacher A team of customs officers checks a man at a motorway rest area near Dijon © Radio France – Charlotte Schuhmacher
Protect biodiversity
But the seizure of counterfeits or drugs is not the only mission of the customs officers of Dijon. They also have a mission to protect biodiversity to be insured, explains Aurélie*, observation officer. “It goes through the control of waste at the borders, for the brigades located at the borders. We, inside the territory, we will be able to control everything that is protected species, identify offenses when people keep animals without permit, without proof. This can lead to procedures in the same way as narcotics or tobacco. We can also carry out investigations to bring down larger traffic. We have already found turtles, a parrot, snakes in trucks … in another brigade, they even seized a lion cub! I think this mission that we have deserves to be a little better known.”
As a reminder, protected wildlife trafficking can result in penalties ranging from fine of up to 750,000 euros and seven years in prison.
*The first names of the customs officers have been changed to protect their identity
#PHOTOS #Immersion #report #Dijon #customs #officers
