Ussuri customs officers discovered undeclared phones and laptops from two Russian tourists.
Ussuri customs officers have discovered undeclared phones and laptops from two Russian tourists. A total of 57 undeclared phones and 6 laptops were detained by customs officers at the Pogranichny checkpoint. The two Russian citizens stated during customs control that they were not importing goods that required declaration. However, upon inspection of their luggage using an X-ray machine, customs officers found 57 iPhones and 6 MacBook Air laptops. The chief of the Ussuri customs post, Sergey Ponomarev, stated that the quantity of iPhones and laptops indicated that they were being imported for commercial purposes, and therefore should have been declared and subject to customs duties. Administrative offense cases have been initiated under Article 16.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (failure to declare goods in the prescribed form). The citizens face a fine of up to twice the value of the goods, with or without confiscation. The goods have been seized and sent for examination. An investigation is underway.