This is an increase of nearly 1,000 seizures compared with the previous year. Talking to NRK, Customs and Excise Director Bjorn Røse think there are two main reasons for the sharp increase in drug seizures. The first reason is that the trend of several smuggling attempts with smaller volume is continuing. The other main reason is the emergence of new synthetic narcotic drugs, which you can order online and can be delivered via mail.
In total, customs seized last year 537,000 narcotic tablets, 209,000 units doping and 381,000 units illegal drugs.
– These drugs are readily available and cheap, and I’m very concerned about the development. The scary trend continues to grow. The illegal imports of synthetic drugs is the greatest threat we face today, says Røse.
According to Norwegian Customs’s report, there are over 700 online stores that sell fabric on the internet. Many of the seizures have been made in shipments from European countries including the Netherlands, Spain, England, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Last week, customs agents had found 145 kilograms of cocaine in a cargo of bananas. This was the second largest customs cocaine seizure in Norway. Street value was close to 100 million.
