Onion Smugglers Caught In Norway
Normally when smugglers are caught crossing borders with truckloads of vegetables, we assume the healthful produce is a red herring to distract from something much more illegal, like when a pile of tomatoes was discovered to be hiding 10 tons of hashish or some tourists' pork rinds were actually bags of cocaine. But two travelers were stopped at the Norwegian border recently with a truck full of onions that really turned out to just be a truck full of illegal onions.
According to The Local, two Poles were caught with more than a ton of onions and carrots in the back of their car. A person is only allowed to bring 10 kilograms, or 22 pounds, of vegetables across the Norwegian border without paying duty.
"They had 823 kilograms of onions and 143 kilograms of carrots in the back," said Einar Bødker from Norwegian Customs. Bødker said he did not believe the 1,814 pounds of onions were intended for personal consumption.
The men apparently told customs agents they were just on their way back from a Christmas holiday in Poland, but customs agents fined them 10,000 kronor or $1,600 for illegal vegetable smuggling.
The 1,814 pounds of onions and 315 pounds of carrots were declared contraband and destroyed.