Hidden Underwear, Canned Food! Rome airport seized 96 million yuan in cash taken out of the country in 4 months, with China and Egypt being the main destinations
On October 13, 2026, it was reported that nearly 100 million euros in cash were intended to be taken out of the country without declaration. This approach is essentially tax evasion. More than 80% of this money was originally planned to fly to Asia and Africa, with over half going to China and about 30% going to Egypt.
In order to take the money out, some people hid the cash in their suitcases and wash bags, and even stuffed it into socks, underwear, belts, perfume boxes, cosmetics and cans. Within just four months, the financial police and customs officials at Romafi Umcino Airport intercepted this batch of funds that seriously violated foreign exchange regulations.
During the summer tourism peak season from May to August 2026, law enforcement officers seized a total of 412 cases of illegal carrying of foreign exchange, intercepted 96.7 million euros of funds prepared to be flown out of the country, and seized over 2.5 million euros on the spot in accordance with the law. If we count from January to August this year, there were 805 cases of violations seized. Most of these illegal funds flow to China, accounting for over 50% of the intercepted funds; Next is Egypt, accounting for 30%. The rest involves Russia, Türkiye and Ethiopia. The proportion of funds transported to South America has decreased compared to previous years.
The significant increase in intercepted amounts is due to a comprehensive upgrade in inspection efforts. Law enforcement agencies have launched detention operations in accordance with Italian Law No. 211/2024. This regulation is aimed at aligning Italian regulations with EU regulatory standards on cross-border cash flows. The new regulations not only increase penalties and update cash interception standards, but also clearly distinguish between two illegal situations: "complete concealment and failure to report" and "false or incomplete declaration". Compared to last year, the number of violations investigated and dealt with in the first eight months of this year has increased by 40%, and the punishment has also doubled.
The total amount of funds seized this time is so astonishing because there is a batch of gold bars inside. Law enforcement officers found 62 kilograms of gold bars worth up to 22 million euros in the luggage of two passengers who arrived at Leonardo da Vinci Airport from Spain. Combined with the seized 84 million euros in cash, the total amount of intercepted funds is close to 100 million euros. The police pointed out that the vast majority of these funds come from tax evasion and money laundering activities.
This special inspection is jointly implemented by the Rome Provincial Finance Police Command and the Lazio Second Customs Bureau and other departments. Law enforcement officers are strengthening control measures in the airport customs area during the peak summer flow, conducting comprehensive spot checks on transit passengers, their carry on luggage, and checked baggage.
Statistics show that in the first eight months of this year, inspection actions discovered a total of 131.57 million euros in cash flows. Among them, the carrying behavior of 96.78 million euros constitutes a violation, directly leading to the confiscation of 2.55 million euros in accordance with the law. In addition, 14.28 million euros were illegally carried, and the relevant passengers chose to pay fines on site to restore compliance. The fine shall be calculated at 15% to 30% of the amount exceeding the statutory limit of 10000 euros and shall be directly handed over to the national treasury. As a result, passengers have avoided the consequences of having all their funds seized.
