Man caught smuggling 45 kg of Dubai chocolate over the Swiss border

In early November, customs officials at the German-Swiss border stopped a man who was attempting to smuggle around 45 kilograms of the coveted "Dubai chocolate" into Germany. According to the authorities, the 31-year-old driver, who was traveling in a van from Switzerland, intended to deliver his cargo to Dortmund.

Green Gold

During an inspection of the vehicle,  German customs discovered a total of 243 boxes of the popular "Dubai chocolate". Currently in huge demand in Germany thanks to numerous viral social media posts, its popular combination of pistachio cream and "angel hair" has seen many wait for hours to get their hands on one of the coveted bars.

As the man sought to transport the chocolate from Switzerland to Germany without declaring his cargo or paying customs due, the authorities charged him with customs evasion; he was ultimately permitted to leave Switzerland with his cargo after paying €920 in import duties.

All aboard the hype train

Arab chocolate has become a real cult phenomenon in recent months, with viral social media posts by food bloggers and influencers fueling the trend. The Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli also hopped on the hype train,  launching its own version of the delicacy in a limited edition of just 1,000 bars. Due to the enormous demand and limited availability, the Swiss manufacturer's edition is exceedingly hard to find, as are products from other brands with both the original Dubai chocolate and its many variations fetching high prices on the resale market.

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