He illegally brings 84 boxes of alcohol from Luxembourg and has to pay a high fine.

381.6 liters of high -proof – as much alcohol, a driver smuggled from Luxembourg to Belgium in early 2024. He had stocked up there with vodka, rum, gin and whiskey and was later stopped on the Belgian E40 near Louvain. Now the criminal court in Louvain sentenced him to four months in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros, as the Belgian newspaper « Nieuwsblad“Reports.

In February 2024, the man noticed a police patrol because his taillight was defective and thick smoke quoll. During the check, it turned out that he had an Indian driver’s license – this is not valid in Belgium. But the actual find was in the trunk: 84 boxes of alcohol with a total of over 380 liters.

Since the man had not paid the prescribed consumption tax, he owed the Belgian state exactly 4,317.26 euros. The Belgian customs regulations allow private individuals to tax-free importing alcohol from other EU countries, but only to a limited extent-for spirits, the limit is ten liters. The 381 liters in his car exceeded this limit many times over.

This article first appeared at “Virgule“. Translation and editing: Jörg Tschürtz.