Polish booze smugglers caught at Swedish border

Customs agents stopped a suspicious truck coming from Sweden at the Svinesund border post, located around 50 kilometres southeast of Oslo.

The agents discovered 14,560 litres of alcohol, said Wenche Fredriksen, the head of border controls for Norwegian customs.

The liquid was almost pure alcohol, about 96 percent by volume, which would be used to make alcoholic drinks.

The smugglers stored it in 10-litre jerrycans underneath black tarpaulin sheets, Fredriksen said.

Customs agents were alerted when the Poland-registered lorry queued in the “red” line for vehicles with goods to declare, but attempted to leave without making a declaration.

The two men, who are aged 38 and 39, are in police custody and face a heavy prison sentence, Fredriksen said.