Two-way traffic on Czech-German border

Petrol flows in one direction and drugs in the other. The German-Czech border is the centre of so much trafficking that the police and customs officials of both countries are keeping it under increasing surveillance.

"Untaxed petrol runs from Germany to the Czech Republic," notes Czech financial daily*Hospodářské N*oviny. Each day, the paper says, 40 to 50 tankers full of fuel leave Bavaria's Ingolstadt refinery. Half of these, the paper explains, are owned by a Russian firm and go to supply Czech service stations at unbeatable prices: €1.32 per litre compared with €1.42 per litre. The paper adds –

The police and customs officials are investigating tax evasion worth several tens of millions of euros. This amounts to 50 to 60 million litres per month, or one fifth of total Czech consumption. Czech distributers pay for the fuel correctly and pay the excise tax. But then the petrol transits for several days through a number of intermediaries, each of which is borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. One of the intermediaries is declared to the authorities as responsible for the tax payment but then declares bankruptcy [thus escaping from making the tax payment].

On another front, dailykeeping a close watch on the border area in order to fight against the trade in methamphetamines, an alternative to crack cocaine. The German police have noted a rise in methamphetamine sales in markets, known for their fashion knock-offs, run by the area's large Vietnamese community. The German police, the paper notes, –

Sometimes even intimidate honest drivers or stop all the cars leaving the markets. Berlin claims that German drug addicts are badly affected by Czech meth, and says the country's laws are too lax. Experts reject these arguments, saying that while possession of a small quantity is considered a minor offence, the production and distribution are indictable offences, as they are everywhere.