The panettones (not pictured) weighed 81kg.
Keystone
An Italian man has been arrested near the customs post at Brusata, canton Ticino, with more than 100kg of undeclared foodstuffs. The 51-year-old wanted to bring 66 panettones into Switzerland.
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He entered Switzerland in a van via the non-permanent border crossing at Brusata and was arrested shortly afterwards by a mobile patrol, the Federal Office of Customs and Border Protection said on Tuesday.
The Italian was carrying 164 litres of oil, 66 panettones weighing 81kg, 5kg of fresh meat, 28kg of mozzarella and around ten loaves of focaccia bread.
+ Swiss customs intercepted over 200 tonnes of smuggled meat in 2024
The man, who runs a food truck north of the Gotthard, was fined several hundred francs and will have to clear his goods through customs.
The cantonal laboratory will also be investigating the conditions under which the goods were transported and stored.
Adapted from French by AI/ts
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