Pisa Airport Seizures Reveal Over €2 Million in Undeclared Cash and Gold

Italian financial and customs authorities seized more than €2 million in undeclared cash during the first six months of 2026 at the Galileo Galilei airport in Pisa. The joint operation by the Guardia di Finanza and the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli resulted in over 170 administrative fines, €144,650 in direct payments, and the administrative seizure of €18,829.

Investigators identified the main illegal transport routes as connections to the United Kingdom, Albania, Morocco (Marrakesh and Casablanca), Spain, France, Poland and Germany. Most of the cash was hidden in hand luggage or on the passengers’ persons, with some cases involving banknotes sewn into suitcase linings or clothing.

A notable case involved two Russian nationals heading to Germany who were discovered with three gold bars totalling 600 g, valued at about €73 000, and were fined €8 599 for failing to declare them. In a separate incident, an Italian passenger arriving from Albania had €9 100 in cash temporarily retained before being seized for debt collection.