With a rise in tourism also comes an increase in customs finds and in 2017 that included the unthinkable.
According to statistics published by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, customs at Koropi discovered 400 kilograms of European eel at the storage facilities of a European company, with an additional 160 kilograms found by Athens International Airport (AIA).
In Rhodes customs officers got the shock of their life when they found five caiman reptiles in a wooden container transported from the Netherlands, while in Thrace at the Kipoi office customs found 25 kilograms of sturgeon eggs being transported to Turkey.
Also on the list of confiscated finds were 580 diamonds and 58 items of precious jewellery that had been smuggled out of Turkey, and a handwritten 18th or 19th century Quran.
While not as shocking, but still fairly odd, customs also discovered 119,520 pieces of cutlery and 109,200 items of underwear that had been smuggled, while the Thessaloniki office confiscated 573,820 toys.
Meanwhile coffee smuggling is on the rise due to an increase in special consumption taxes, with the Serres customs office confiscating 2.31 tons of Java.
Amongst the discoveries were some more common, with customs confiscating 154 million illegally transported cigarettes, with a total of €581 million taxes and fines imposed throughout the year.
