Amber smuggling on the rise between Russia and Poland

Amber Photo: cc/wikimedia/Lanzi

In 2012, only 30 kg of amber was seized by customs, while in 2013, customs officers took hold of 140 kg of the material.

Customs officers say the marked rise in amber smuggling between Russia’s Kaliningrad oblast and Poland is due to a decision by Russian authorities last October which bans the export of the gemstone.

However, the ban has not stopped people from exporting the material, with a Lithuanian man stopped in the past few days on the Russian border with over 20kg hidden in his car.

“We usually find amber in sophisticated hiding places, for instance wrapped in special film and hidden in the petrol tank, in gas bottles or in tailor-made vehicle compartments,” Polish Customs press spokesman Ryszard Chudy told the PAP news agency.

However, the Russian export ban has had an adverse effect on the jewellery industry, as the Kaliningrad oblast is thought to have the largest amber deposits in the world, estimated at 80 percent of the global total.

Amber seized by customs is sold at auction, and can reach high prices. Chudy told PAP that recently, 47 kg of amber sold for 156,000 zloty (around 39,000 euro), while in 2013, 42.5 kg of amber reached 170,000 zloty.

“Prices are rising,” Chudy said, adding that “two-three years ago we would sell amber for half the price it goes for now, while five years ago the price was five times lower,” recalling an incident when 180kg of amber was sold for only 15,000 zloty. (jb)