From 'Lukashenko's Wine' to Bullets: Customs Reveals Thousands of Sanction Regime Violations 0 10

Customs officials confiscated them as they fall under sanctions - they are prohibited from being exported from the EU to Russia and Belarus or imported from these countries.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, new goods and services have gradually been added to the EU sanctions lists. Over the past four years, the State Agency for the Management of Confiscated Goods has managed to sell about a third of the confiscated items stored at auctions, which has replenished the state budget by 2.4 million euros, however, the majority of the goods are still awaiting sale.

The export of prohibited goods is the most common violation of sanctions, says prosecutor Salvis Skaistais from the Department of Specially Authorized Prosecutors of the General Prosecutor's Office. Violators lose confiscated goods and face hefty fines, the total amount of which has already exceeded 3 million euros. 10% of violations are much more serious cases where Russian companies were provided services or supplied goods for military purposes. This carries a prison sentence of up to 12 years.

Last year, the Customs Department of the State Revenue Service identified 4,356 violations related to non-compliance with sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and in 1,460 cases, the export or import of goods was prohibited. Of these, 1,340 cases were attempts to export unauthorized goods.

Director of the Customs Department Raimonds Zukuls notes that last year changes were made to the laws allowing for administrative fines to be imposed on offenders if the value of the sanctioned goods does not exceed 10,000 euros, whereas previously this was subject to criminal liability. Criminal proceedings take a long time and require significant resources, while administrative processes are more efficient and ensure swift punishment. At the same time, the fines are quite substantial: for individuals - up to 10,000 euros, and for legal entities - from 10,000 to 30,000 euros, and this is what deters violators.