BERLIN -- An Iranian man faces a hefty fine after trying to enter Germany with a check worth about $70 million in his hand luggage.
Customs officials at Duesseldorf airport say the man, who had arrived on a flight from Turkey, told officers he was carrying less than the (euro)10,000 (US$13,644) threshold that needs to be declared.
But when officers searched the unidentified 59-year-old's bags they found a check for 300 million Venezuelan Bolivares issued by the Bank of Venezuela.
Customs officials said in a statement Friday that the check was impounded since the Iranian was unable to offer a plausible explanation about its intended recipient and purpose.
The man faces a fine of up to (euro)1 million (US$1.4 million).
