Nearly half of illegal customs goods linked to drugs

In 2023, the Danish Customs Agency recorded 8,700 attempts to smuggle illegal goods into Denmark, a significant number of which involved narcotics. Accounting for 46% of seized goods, narcotics are increasingly common, especially among the youth, which concerns the Tax Minister, Rasmus Stoklund. A notable increase from the previous year’s 37%, 2023 witnessed the seizure of 1,900 kilos of hash, with individual cases, such as the discovery of around 900 kilos in a truck at Rødbyhavn, contributing to the high figure. Additionally, 740,000 illegal pills were seized from a hearse at Gedser Port. The types of goods smuggled vary annually; past years saw a high number of weapon cases, peaking in 2018 and 2019, whereas weapons only made up 2,066 of the 8,700 total cases in 2023.