Authorities: Customs balance 2024: More packages, marijuana and weapons of war

Increasing package shipments from China employed customs last year. “The keyword here is e-commerce,” said the President of the General Customs Directorate, Armin Rolfink. The number of customs handling in online trading was more than quadrupled in the previous year comparison – at 235 million. “All packages that arrive from China,” said Rolfink at the presentation of the annual balance of the customs in Hamburg.

Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) said more cheap goods and fake products come to Germany via China. There are discussions, also at European level, about the abolition of the existing customs limit of 150 euros. Klingbeil spoke out to proceed more strictly against the programs than before. The minister did not respond to the consideration of the EU Commission to introduce a flat rate of one up to two euros.

Fewer coke, more marijuana ensured

One task of customs is to prevent drug smuggling. It is striking that the amount of secured cocaine decreased significantly compared to 2023 – from 39.9 to 16.3 tons. “This decline shows that checks and a high level of investigative pressure have a look,” said Klingbeil. Schmuggler bring drugs to Europe, especially in Se containers. In 2023, the investigators had made major finds in the ports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven.

In return, the officials secured more marijuana: the amount rose from 8.6 to 12.6 tons in the year. The consumption of cannabis was sometimes legalized for adults on April 2024. Rolfink did not make a connection. “We have no knowledge whether it actually had to do with this legalization,” he said.

161 War weapons confiscated

The customs, which also has to prevent weapons smuggling, ensured significantly more weapons of war in the year. It was 161 pieces. In the previous year there were 19th. According to the war weapons list, for example, steering aircraft, flame thrower and rifle grenades are considered to be war weapons.

According to the report, there were two major cases: there were no transport permits that had to be obtained afterwards. Rolfink said the increase was the result of good risk analysis of customs. He could not call the background to the two cases.

“Harder gait” against undeclared work announced

The unit financial control of the undeclared work of customs checks whether employers register employees for social security, whether social benefits are wrongly obtained and foreigners have work permits. Last year, the financial control checked 25,274 employers. That was significantly less than in 2023 when 42,631 were examined. However, the number of procedures initiated and completed was only slightly below the level of 2023.

“As a finance minister, it is important to me, and as a federal government, it is important to us that we make a harder gait,” said Klingbeil. “When it comes to acting against criminals who enrich themselves at the expense of the general public.” The Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt industrial union praised in a statement Klingbeil’s announcement.

The Federal Government had stated in an immediate program presented at the end of May to adopt a law on the modernization and digitization of black work control.

Union complains of savings measures

According to the German customs and finance union, the protection function of customs is increasingly under pressure, as can be seen from a message. The union names the reasons, among other things, the trade conflicts, complex sanctions and online trade. The union chairman Thomas Liebel complains: “Despite growing tasks, customs is weakened by persistent austerity measures.”