Friday, Jun 09 2023
All Cities
Choose Your City
'I've grown fat, got a tan & now look like a Siberian'
Vladimir Lenin, 1897, in Siberian exile

Feet of gold as a Russian traveler tries to smuggle 2kg of gold taped to her soles

By The Siberian Times reporter
05 November 2019

Custom officers said the young woman walked unnaturally and was visibly nervous.

She attracted the inspectors’ attention with a ‘very unnatural’ way of walking even before she reached a metal detector. Picture: Far Eastern Customs

A 27-year-old tourist with eight round-shaped pieces of gold in her shoes was stopped by inspectors of Zabaikalsk automobile check point. 

The woman whose identity was not revealed said that she was going on a tourist trip to China. 

She attracted the inspectors’ attention with a ‘very unnatural’ way of walking even before she reached a metal detector. 

As soon as she went through the frame there was a loud ring. 

Gold


Gold

'The woman was asked to take her shoes off, and in her socks they found eight pieces of of yellow metal bullion taped to her soles’. Pictures: Far Eastern Customs

‘Inspector asked her to walk through the metal detector, and it rang again. 

'A check with portable detector showed that it rang when inspector was pointing at her feet. 

'The woman was asked to take her shoes off, and in her socks they found eight pieces of of yellow metal bullion taped to her soles’, press secretary of Chita customs Marina Boiko explained to Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. 

The metal was gold weighing total of 1863.81 grams, total value over five million roubles ($79000 US dollars). 

The woman had no documents confirming the legal manufacture or purchase of the handicraft gold.

Checkpoint


Checkpoint


Checkpoint

There were several similar gold smuggling attempts stopped by Zabaikalsk checkpoint customs in 2019. 

The woman explained that she was trying to smuggle out the gold out at a request of a Chinese citizen who promised to pay her. 

A criminal case was started against her under the Illegal Movement of Strategic Goods and Resources clause (article 226.1, part 1 of Russian Criminal Code). 

There were several similar gold smuggling attempts stopped by Zabaikalsk checkpoint customs in 2019. 

In August a Russian woman tried to /muggle 10 gold hidden in her trainers.

Comments (1)

Smuggling is as old as prostitutions and taxi-driving, it distribute the difference between mad politicians economic plans, thus she is not a criminal, thus the Russian criminal code art 226.1 is religion and is henceforthly in conflict with freedom. Also there is a law in Russia states very clear that the tax-man is not interested in 'how' you doing your business. All she to do is keep her mouth shut and pay the tax on value. Then again who qualify as valuators.
Choke, Cape Town
07/11/2019 14:32
0
1
1

Add your comment

We welcome a healthy debate, but do not accept offensive or abusive comments. Please also read 'Siberian Times' Privacy Policy

Name

Town/Country

Add your comments

The views expressed in the comments above are those of our readers. 'Siberian Times' reserves the right to pre-moderate some comments.

Control code*

Type the code

* obligatory


News

Business

The Bank of Russia official exchange rates of foreign currencies
EUR88.04USD82.09GBP102.30Other...