• The number of counterfeit items seized by Breton customs in 2021 exploded: +88% compared to 2020.

  • The most counterfeited items are always the same: football shirts, shoes, copies of luxury items or even phones and accessories.

  • Brexit has complicated the missions of Breton customs officers, particularly at the ports of Saint-Malo and Roscoff.

The year 2020 had been "abnormal" for the French customs workforce.

After this strange health break, activity has largely resumed.

The proof ?

The number of counterfeit items seized in 2021. In Brittany, it exploded by 88% compared to 2020. Cigarettes, defective surgical masks, drugs, weapons.

Intense activity which has been greatly disrupted by Brexit, particularly in the ports of Saint-Malo and Roscoff.

When it comes to taking stock, the figures make you dizzy… And it shouldn't stop there.

By 2025, an additional 150 million euros will be allocated to customs by the State.

500,000 Chinese masks seized

In April 2021, customs officers in Brest hit hard when they stopped a delivery of 500,000 surgical masks and gloves from China.

Deemed non-compliant, the shipment could never reach its destination.

“It is an important responsibility for us to ensure that these masks meet European standards.

But it is difficult to tell an importer that he will not have the masks he was expecting, ”recognizes Pascale Buronfosse-Bjai

,

regional director of customs services.

In 2020, nearly 29,000 masks had also been seized while France was in dire need of them.

“Some had a mask only the name”.

4.9 million duties and taxes

In 2021, 4.9 million euros in duties and taxes were reassessed by Breton customs.

An amount that has been significantly increased due to Brexit and the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.

Despite this constraint, the average immobilization time for cleared goods was maintained at a satisfactory level: 1 minute and 13 seconds on average.

28 kg of heroin seized during a traffic stop

On January 26, 2022, an unexpected check carried out at the Armor rest area, between Rennes and Saint-Brieuc, resulted in the seizure of 27.6 kg of heroin.

Packaged in loaves – there were 53 of them – the drugs were hidden in bags in the trunk of the car.

It was the panicked attitude of the driver that prompted the customs officers to take an interest in this vehicle.

This seizure estimated at nearly 1.5 million euros is not a record but remains very important for Brittany.

A total of 158 kg of narcotics were seized last year, including 115 kg of cannabis and 14 kg of cocaine.

The white powder is often transported by mules from Guyana, who risk their lives by ingesting small balls of drugs.

Counterfeiting jumped 88%

The number of items seized by Breton customs in 2021 jumped 88% compared to 2020. The "best-sellers" are always the same: football shirts, branded shoes, pale copies of luxury, but also medicines or toys.

In particular, large quantities of erectile dysfunction pills were seized, as well as acne lotions and skin creams.

All these products contained prohibited and potentially carcinogenic products.

“In the case of medicines or players, counterfeits can be dangerous for our fellow citizens.

It is a threat to our safety and health,” warns the regional director.

Customs officers also seized 458 kg of cigarettes last year.

In France, it is forbidden to buy tobacco outside tobacconist networks.

Buyers even expose themselves to sanctions in the event of large purchases on the Net.

Two stolen statues found

The man was about to embark for the United Kingdom with his statue “under his arm”.

In Roscoff, this traveler had to leave his sculpture of Saint-Jean and Saint-Pierre in Brittany, unable to prove the authenticity of his purchase certificate and to provide the certificate issued by the Minister of Culture in the case of cultural goods.

The investigation showed that the statue had been stolen from a parish close in Finistère, then resold for 1,500 euros.

The thief was found, as was the antique dealer who had sold the object.

The found statue and a second one that had been stolen were returned to their owner.

Society

28 kilos of heroin seized during a banal road check in Brittany

Miscellaneous facts

Guadeloupe: Resurgence of drug trafficking, tobacco, counterfeiting and protected animals

  • Heroin

  • Drug

  • Smuggling

  • Traffic

  • Counterfeit

  • reindeer

  • Customs

  • Society

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