Sweden introduces cash controls and sniffer dogs to combat cross-border crime money

Sweden has tightened cash controls at its borders with other EU countries in a bid to stop billions in criminal proceeds from being smuggled out, public broadcaster SVT Nyheter reports. The new rules, effective from 1 April, require travellers carrying €10,000 or more (around 110,000 SEK) to declare the funds to customs—regulations previously applied only to non-EU travel.

Customs officers now have expanded powers to search luggage and, if suspicious, conduct body searches for undeclared cash linked to money laundering, tax evasion, or organised crime. Funds can be seized for further investigation if declaration rules are violated or if criminal ties are suspected.

“The criminal economy is enormous—these new measures give us better tools to stop it,” said Bodil Taylor, director-general of the Swedish Customs Agency. Police estimate billions in illicit cash leave Sweden annually, often tied to serious organised crime.

Finance Minister Niklas Wykman (Moderate Party) stressed the change closes a loophole: “It should not be possible to commit crimes in Sweden, profit heavily, and then move the money abroad.” When asked why the reform took years to implement, Wykman cited the complexity of coordinating new systems.

Despite the update, the Customs Agency has previously warned of resource gaps, including a shortage of scanners to detect drugs in shipping containers. “We’re a relatively small agency handling a massive flow,” Taylor noted. Wykman acknowledged “more work remains” to fully address the challenges.

As part of the crackdown, customs has deployed a specially trained cash-detection dog named Ranger, capable of sniffing out large sums of banknotes—even through sealed packaging. “We don’t usually notice how much currency smells, but it does,” an officer told SVT.