Penalty for smuggling water over Belgian border

amsterdam - A woman who had taken 'too much' water over the Belgian border has been fined up to 414 euros.

The Belgian had gone shopping in France and crossed the border with seventy packages with six bottles each. In total 420 liters crossed the border.

A waking customs officer stopped her. 'There are strict rules,' says a customs official in Sudpresse.

The woman says she had taken water for the whole family. In France, bottled water is about half cheaper than in Belgium.

Normally there is free movement of goods within the European Union. There are limits for alcohol and tobacco, but this is not the case for non-alcoholic drinks and coffee. Everything depends on the interpretation, or the mood of the customs officer.

A customs officer tells the broadcaster RTBF: 'The quantity is clearly too large for one family. 'Customs sees it as a trade.

The woman from Houdeng is described in Belgian media as a retired woman, but Le Soir knows that she would have a little shop. Especially night shops in Belgium would earn a lot from the sale of water imported from France.