At Upper Lars, an attempt to export almost half a million dollars to Georgia was stopped

The man followed across the border in a passenger car. When passing customs control, he did not declare the availability of funds subject to mandatory declaration. During the inspection with the use of technical means, the staff found an equipped cache in one of the shelves of the vehicle. Inside was cash currency totaling $ 425,000, which is equivalent to more than 35 million rubles.

The seized funds were sent for examination, on the results of which a procedural decision will be made. As noted in the FCS of Russia, any attempts to hide the movement of large amounts, especially using caches, qualify as smuggling with criminal liability.

According to the decree of the President of the Russian Federation of March 1, 2022 No. 81, the export of cash foreign currency from the Russian Federation in the amount exceeding the equivalent of $ 10,000 is prohibited. In addition, the decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated September 29, 2026 No. 706 established a ban on the export to the EAEU countries, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan of cash currency of the Russian Federation by individuals in the amount of more than 1 million rubles, and by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs - regardless of the amount.

In the first six months of 2026, the Federal Customs Service stopped more than 6,000 attempts to illegally move cash across the border.

Statistics of attempts to smuggle currency suggest that Upper Lars remains one of the most problematic areas in the way of illegal movement of cash. In March 2026, a 52-year-old Russian citizen traveling to Georgia by Lexus car hid $150,000, 2,700 euros and 90,000 rubles behind the luggage compartment. The total amount in equivalent exceeded 12.3 million rubles. A criminal case has been opened on smuggling. The sanction of the article provides for a fine from ten to fifteen times the amount of illegally transferred funds or restriction of freedom for up to four years.

In February 2025, the driver of a regular bus leaving for Georgia announced the absence of currency with him. However, customs officers found 500 banknotes with a face value of 200 euros in the folder with documents. The money was seized to resolve the issue of initiating a criminal case.

In June 2026, the Soviet district court of Vladikavkaz convicted a resident of the Rostov region, who tried to take 2.8 million rubles through Upper Lars without declaring. The court imposed a penalty of restriction of liberty for a period of one year, and confiscated the seized funds to the state.

Attempts to smuggle currency were recorded at other checkpoints.

In September 2026, a Russian woman tried to take almost half a million rubles to Latvia, hiding the money under her clothes. The woman was brought to administrative responsibility for concealing goods from customs control by using caches.

In September, Murmansk customs officers at the post of MAPP “Borisoglebsk” found a cache in the car of a Russian man traveling from Norway. Under the piece of felt were hidden 99 banknotes of 50 euros and one bill of 100 euros, packed in a plastic bag.

As practice shows, violators use a variety of tricks - from the equipment of professional caches in cars to the banal concealment of money in clothes and shoes. However, the technical means of customs control and the vigilance of employees make it possible to prevent these attempts. Sanctions for smuggling cash in Russia provide for fines from three to fifteen times the amount illegally transferred.