Customs, Police grab suspect smuggling currencies
Asian national was detained at Nausori International Airport.
A42-year-old Asian national was arrested at the Nausori International Airport last week for allegedly smuggling currency, authorities have said. The suspect arrived from Vanuatu at 2pm on Wednesday with FJD$35,000 undeclared currency in her luggage. Customs Officers at the Nausori International Airport grew suspicious and after checking her baggage they recovered various currencies amounting to FJD$35,000. The currencies found were from the United States, Fijian, Chinese, Hong Kong, Solomons and Vanuatu.
“Under Section 32 (1) of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act 2004, any person leaving or arriving into the country with more than $10,000 should declare it to FRCA or face a fine of up to $60,000 or an imprisonment of up to 10 years or both,” Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) chief executive officer Visvanath Das said. “A number of people have also been fined and incarcerated for currency smuggling in the past few months,” he said.
“We have well-trained and qualified Customs officers at the port of entries who are clamping down hard on currency smuggling”. Police Commissioner BrigadierGeneral Sitiveni Qiliho said the success of the joint partnership with FRCA continued to be felt in the criminal landscape. “When we are able to stop any form of criminal activity from entering our borders it is always an added bonus,” the Commissioner said. “Because we are not only able to prevent an offence from taking place, but protect our innocent people from becoming victims.”
The currencies found were from the United States, Fijian, Chinese, Hong Kong, Solomons and Vanuatu