‘Anything to declare?’ ‘Yes, we’ve got two rocket launchers in the back of the van’: British couple are fined after revealing military weapons from Ukraine to French customs
“Anything to declare?” ‘Yes, we have two missile launchers in the back of the van’: British couple fined after revealing military weapons from Ukraine to French customs
- Two rocket launchers from Ukraine were found in the car of a British couple in Calais
A British couple were fined after telling French customs they had two missile launchers from Ukraine in the back of their van.
The so-called ‘Buster Bunkers’ were found wrapped in cellophane in the back of their van during a routine search by a Calais official ahead of their trip to the UK.
“He asked if they had anything to say while they were queuing for the ferry,” said an investigative source.
“The young couple’s answer was a simple yes – they wanted to declare two rocket launchers and other military equipment they received in Ukraine during a humanitarian mission.”
In addition to the rocket launchers, believed to be American-made M141s, there were 14 shell casings and the remains of a body armor that had been shot to pieces.
A British couple were fined after telling French customs in Calais that they had two missile launchers from Ukraine in the back of their van. Pictured: A Ukrainian soldier fires a missile launched on June 8 in Ukraine’s Donetsk region
An emergency was declared and people evacuated from the area before bomb disposal experts were sent to port.
Everything appeared to be “dismantled” but was destroyed anyway, the investigating source said.
The pair, whose identities are unknown, were arrested on May 7 before appearing in court this week.
They said the gear represented “victory symbols” they had received as gifts while working in Ukraine.
“I’m not a collector,” said one of the defendants. “They were thank yous – symbols of the Ukrainians’ victory, which caused us a lot of trouble at the border.”
Beyond the rocket launchers – believed to be American-made M141s (file image) – there were 14 shell casings in the trunk and the remains of a body armor that had been blown to pieces
His partner said they were in Ukraine for four days and added: ‘We contacted the English authorities who told us it was possible to come back with such equipment.
“Unfortunately for us—and we found out the hard way—carrying things like this is illegal in France.”
The couple received a customs fine after they were convicted of ‘transporting category C weapons without a valid reason’.
Disposable single-shot shoulder-fired rocket launchers such as the M141 are widely used by the Ukrainians in their war against Russia.