A woman arriving at Hamburg airport had 90kg of luxury Dubai kunafa chocolate confiscated last month by German customs officials because it was subject to hundreds of euros in import duties.
The chocolate bars, made popular on social media, are filled with pistachios and shredded filo pastry. People queue for hours to buy the confectionery, which sells in Germany for about €25 ($25.76) each.
The 33-year-old woman distributed the 460 200-gram bars among three suitcases and failed to declare them. She told officials she paid €4.60 for each of them, an official for German customs said on Wednesday.
The confiscated bars, whose brand was not specified, must now be re-exported or destroyed.
Based on the quantity imported, officials said they believed the bars, valued in total at about €2,100, were meant for commercial sale.
“In addition to the potential tax evasion for the evaded import duties of over €330, customs in this case is primarily concerned with protecting the health of citizens in Germany,” officials added.
Customs officials could not find any information about the ingredients or allergens on the bars' packaging, meaning customers could potentially face a health risk, they said.
The woman, who was not arrested, will be investigated for possible tax evasion charges, a customs official confirmed.
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
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The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
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GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
Specs%20
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