History repeats itself. Customs officers will soon be able to check with their eyes closed. On 5 June 2022, officers intercepted a van traveling on the A31. The check takes place near Yutz.
The driver, alone on board, carries 588 liters of alcohol: 462 liters of vodka, 42 liters of rum, 84 liters of whiskey from Luxembourg where taxation on these products is reduced.
Not only did he have no tickets to justify his purchase, but above all he broke the authorized quotas. It is possible to purchase and transport, within the European Union, 10 liters of strong alcohol, 90 liters of wine, 110 liters of beer (cumulative) without worrying.
Already sentenced this year
The driver is a Sri Lankan, like so many compatriots arrested, who came to supply the food shops of the Paris region. He says he paid a guy, in cash, in a parking lot. The sponsors allegedly gave him 400 euros to make the trip and deliver the booze to Bobigny.
The customs representative recalls that the defendant, who was absent from Tuesday’s trial in Thionville, is known. His criminal record counts nine convictions, and the last one is not old: it was handed down a few weeks before his arrest in Yutz, for illegal possession of tobacco.
Thavanathan Nagalingam is sentenced this time to one year in prison. The court issues an arrest warrant against him to ensure he serves his sentence. The customs fine amounts to 15,000 euros, the value of the seized alcohol in France. All bottles are confiscated, destined for destruction.
