“Customs makes an indispensable contribution to the security of our country and the protection of our economy.” With these words, Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil recognised the work of the 48,000 Customs employees. The 2024 annual Customs balance sheet makes it very clear: the losses caused by offences uncovered by Customs are enormous. Last year, Customs initiated around 10,000 investigations into cross-border narcotics crime alone. The losses caused by undeclared work are estimated at around 766 million euros.

This is a strong incentive for the Federal Government to step up its measures against tax evasion, undeclared work, money laundering, financial crime and organised crime. Federal Minister of Finance Klingbeil believes it is important that “we take a tougher stance when it comes to taking action against criminals who enrich themselves at the expense of the general public”. The state must and will crack down. In the Minister’s view, Customs is committed to ensuring that undeclared work is consistently prosecuted, social security systems are protected and public finances are safeguarded. 

Enforcement of international sanctions 

Klingbeil cited the enforcement of sanctions, particularly against Russia, as one of the focal points of Customs’ current work. Customs, he said, is an international player here and plays a decisive role in preventing Russia from circumventing sanctions with, for example, its “shadow fleet”.

Read the full report on the 2024 annual Customs statistics here (only german).

Other Customs topics: 

• International drug-related crime: In total, Customs seized around 32 tonnes of narcotics in 2024 – including around 16 tonnes of cocaine, mainly from Central and South America. For comparison: last year, the figure was 40 tonnes of cocaine. Klingbeil described this as a success and evidence that controls and high investigative pressure are effective.
   
• Undeclared work and illegal employment: Last year, Customs initiated around 97,000 criminal proceedings and 50,000 proceedings for administrative offences in these areas. The plan is to further strengthen the unit responsible for the financial control of undeclared work. The Federal Minister of Finance announced that he would present a corresponding bill before the summer recess.
   
• Financial authority and revenue administration: In addition to its role as a security authority, Customs contributes significantly to German budget revenue – and thus ensures Germany’s ability to act. In all, revenue last year totalled around 150 billion euros.
   
• Cross-border movement of goods: Customs registered goods valued at 1.3 trillion euros in the context of the cross-border exchange of goods. The share of e-commerce in international trade is growing rapidly.