Norwegian customs seize 633 litres of nitrous oxide from Finnish man

Norwegian customs seized 633.6 litres of nitrous oxide from a Finnish man at the Ørje customs station near the Swedish border, Yle reported, citing Norway’s NRK. The man was fined 60,000 Norwegian kroner, about 5,500 euros.

The 30-year-old arrived at the station around midnight in a car loaded with moving boxes. He used the lane for travellers with nothing to declare and said he was travelling to Oslo to help a friend move.

A customs inspection found 192 bottles of nitrous oxide in the boxes. After the discovery, the man said he needed the gas for baking and making cocktails. Nitrous oxide is used in cooking, including to whip cream.

Customs section manager Gro Lene Gundelsby told NRK that importing such products is prohibited. The gas was confiscated and the case was referred to police.

Gundelsby said she had seen only one similar seizure during her career, involving a considerably smaller quantity.

Norway banned the sale of nitrous oxide to people under 18 and for intoxicating use at the beginning of July. The decision followed authorities’ assessment that recreational use had increased, particularly in the Oslo region.

The man’s actual intended use for the gas is not known. In Finland, the Chemicals Act prohibits supplying chemicals for the purpose of intoxication.