Swedish beer smuggling at record high

Norwegian customs at one border crossing has seen a spike in 2017 The Local Norwegian customs officers at the Svinesund border between Sweden and Norway have seized more beer and spirits during the first half of 2017 than in the whole of last year. Unroadworthy vehicles used for smuggling purposes have also been seized, according to a report by P4 Väst. “There has clearly been a trend in the first half of the year towards a quite large increase in the confiscation of both beer and spirits,” Per Kristian Grandahl, head of the Svinesund customs office, told the Swedish radio broadcaster. Two bridges—the Old and New Svinesund bridges—span the Iddefjord, connecting Sweden’s Bohuslän province with the Norwegian county of Østfold. The crossing is popular with Norwegians, with many thousands crossing each month to buy relatively cheap goods on the Swedish side.