A four-day operation led by Greece and Spain and supported by Frontex has targeted hidden, undeclared cash being flown out of the EU.
Operation Aerial Cash Routes took place at Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Barajas International Airport, where Frontex and customs and law enforcement officers from seven countries worked together to seize cash leaving the EU undeclared. Spain’s Guardia Civil, the Hellenic Police – Directorate Against Organised Crime and the Hellenic Independent Authority for Public Revenue led the action.
The operation focused on cash above €10,000 (US$11,500) leaving the airport for destinations outside the EU. Carrying cash above that limit across the border without declaring it is an administrative or criminal breach. According to Frontex, this is a common way to move the profits of crime.
During the operation, officers detected €21,285 (US$24,636) in undeclared cash. In one instance, officers stopped a person traveling to China with an underage person, who had checked in three large suitcases. They discovered cash hidden in one bag, with more stashed in the child’s food packs and among the child’s belongings. The money was seized and a customs procedure initiated.
The operation was part of EMPACT, the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats. Instead of working case by case on their own, EMPACT countries agree on shared priorities and then run joint operations against them, with support from EU agencies such as Frontex and Europol.
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