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Customs seize 90,000 bottles of vodka bound for N. Korea
Dutch customs have seized 90,000 bottles of vodka found buried beneath an airplane fuselage on a Chinese ship believed to be bound for North Korea.
As reported by the BBC, customs agents seized the vodka from a ship bound for China in the port of Rotterdam on Friday last week, having received an anonymous tip off.
The container in question was found hidden beneath an airplane fuselage. Inside were 90,000 bottles of vodka, Dutch customs agents have confirmed.
Its destination was listed as China, but agents have said it suspect its real final port was Pyongyang, North Korea.
Roul Velleman, a spokesman for the Dutch customs agency, said the ship’s destination was officially listed to China, but was “probably” bound for North Korea. “All we can say is it was for North Korea,” he said. “We’re 90% sure (that was) its final destination.”
UN sanctions levied on North Korea because of its nuclear programme forbid the importing of luxury items such as vodka.
The seizure comes as Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump are set to meet for a second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, to build upon their agreement to work toward denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.