German man caught with 13kg of gold at Russian-Estonian border

Russian customs officials have detained a German man who was attempting to cross the border from Estonia into Russia with some 13 kilograms of fine gold concealed in his caravan.

The 21 gold bars, with a total value exceeding 90 million roubles ($980,000), were not declared by the 58-year-old man, Russian authorities said.

The gold bars, bearing the hallmarks of a western company, were discovered during a search of the caravan and the man's personal belongings. It was unclear how he had obtained the gold.

The man was initially placed under house arrest, according to the customs statement.

He now faces criminal charges for smuggling strategically important goods and could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 1 million roubles if convicted.

A spokeswoman for the German Foreign Office in Berlin told dpa on Tuesday it was aware of the case and that the Consulate General in St Petersburg had offered the German man assistance. She did not disclose any further details.

Russian officials, including those from the domestic intelligence service or FSB, found the rectangular metal bars in a cupboard and smaller gold bars in the man's private belongings, customs officials said

It was unclear where the man had obtained the gold. In the wake of Moscow's war against Ukraine, many foreign citizens in Russia are trying to get their valuables out of the country to safety.

It was also not initially known why the man wanted to import gold in this quantity. A limit of €10,000 applies to duty-free imports into Russia. The European Union has also imposed sanctions on the gold imports from Russia, as it has for many raw materials, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Moscow recently released several German citizens in a prisoner exchange at the beginning of the month. Among them was a man who was arrested at St Petersburg airport in February for having cannabis-containing gummy bears in his luggage.