Man caught smuggling 450 galons of alcohol across border – his excuse has beer lovers celebrating

Three cases of beer in a day – that’s 72 cans – one thirsty Swedish this man claims to be.

Lund’s district court, however, didn’t buy his explanation after customs in Helsingborg, Sweden, stopped him — and so the 55-year-old was found guilty of smuggling.

Customs stopped him this summer on two different occasions with huge amounts of alcohol in his car. In May, the man transported 390 gallons of beer and 128 oz. of spirits between Helsingborg and Gothenburg, writes the Swedish site HD.

https://twitter.com/HallgrenNiclas/status/639350679782490112

The person who posted the tweet above has nothing to do with the case in this article.

In June, however, he got caught once more. This time by customs in Helsingborg that stopped the 55-year-old, who then had 60 gallons of beer, 5 gallons of liquor and a bottle of wine in his luggage, according to the newspaper.

Refuses to name clients

Customs seized all alcohol and accused the man of smuggling and working illegally with excise goods. He denied committing any crimes and claimed the alcohol, which he acquired in Germany, would only be transported to Gothenburg. The man, according to his own statement, did it as a service to his acquaintances — hoping to get stock to cover the 3 cases of beer he drinks every night as well.

swedish man smuggled
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

However, the 55-year-old man refused to name his clients – and therefore the state’s court rejected his explanation. At the same time, they didn‘t believe that he alone drinks three cases of beer a night. However, the court doesn‘t have any doubts that he is a major consumer of alcohol.

200 different fines

The man denies crimes and believes it‘s alcohol for his own use only, but since he‘s been previously convicted of smuggling – and has also served time in prison – the district court found him guilty.

Beer smuggler
Image source: Flickr

This time, however, the man didn’t have to serve time. The amount of alcohol didn’t amount to a prison level sentence. Instead, he received 200 different fines — for a total of 10,000 Swedish Crowns, or $1,200 US dollars – and he won’t be getting the drinks back.

Do you know someone who can drink 3 cases of beer in a night? Tag that person, or share this article with your beer-loving friends!