BER customs announce biggest cannabis bust in airport’s history

Customs officers at BER Airport in Berlin-Brandenburg have announced the biggest cannabis trafficking bust in the airport’s short history.

BER customs find 68 kilogrammes of weed

The Central Customs Office in Potsdam, Brandenburg, has announced that customs officers working at BER Airport found 68 kilograms of weed in two suitcases in early April.

The suitcases, which belonged to two Japanese nationals travelling from Bangkok via Doha, were searched after attracting attention from sniffer dogs. When they opened the bags, customs officers found vacuum-packed bags wrapped in tin foil and containing a “greenish-brown, herb-like substance”.

Following a test, customs officers confirmed that the “herb-like substance” was cannabis. The two passengers, both aged 27, had a total of 68kg in their baggage, making the discovery the biggest cannabis bust in the airport’s short five-year history.

Multiple seizures from passengers travelling via Doha

While the 68kg bust was a particularly large discovery, it wasn’t an isolated case in April. Two further passengers travelling via Doha were stopped and found to be carrying significant amounts of cannabis.

Further cases included two German nationals on separate flights, one of whom was found transporting 91 vacuum-packed bags containing 50kg of weed, and the other, smuggling 30kg from Bangkok via Doha.

Cannabis has been legal for personal use in Germany since April 2024, but it cannot be transported in or out of the country for personal use.