German authorities intercepted a Romanian driver who concealed €33,000 within two loaves of bread. The incident occurred at the Irschenberg rest area along the A8 highway in Bavaria, as reported by Bild.
The driver, unable to account for the origin of the funds when questioned by the police, found himself in a precarious legal situation.
The concealed cash was confiscated on the spot, with the future of the funds hanging in balance. They could either enrich the German state's treasury or be returned to any potential victims, should the money be linked to criminal activities.
This action aligns with a 2022 legislation aimed at empowering the state to appropriate unclaimed money or assets tied to crimes, ensuring they benefit the public or return to rightful owners.
The Bavarian Central Asset Recovery Office (ZKV), a body specialized in the retrieval of assets from criminal enterprises, spearheaded the operation. Hildegard Bäumler-Hösl, the coordinator for ZKV, emphasized their legal mandate to seize assets of dubious origins to combat criminal financial flows.
This incident is among several successful operations conducted by ZKV, including a significant seizure of nearly €1 million in cash and 16.12 kilograms of gold discovered in another vehicle on the A93 highway near Oberaudorf.
