https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed If you're invited to a German wedding, you may find some of the customs a bit surprising, if not confusing. So we're here to help. https://www.thelocal.de/20190605/10-things-you-need-to-know-before-attending-a-german-wedding Wed, 05 Jun 2019 15:13:57 +0200 10-things-you-need-to-know-before-attending-a-german-wedding Germany certainly knows how to celebrate special occasions, sometimes in rather weird and wacky ways. Here are eight seasonal customs which help to make German celebration days so special. https://www.thelocal.de/20190917/8-seasonal-german-customs-you-might-not-have-heard-of Tue, 17 Sep 2019 17:33:56 +0200 8-seasonal-german-customs-you-might-not-have-heard-of A major deployment of customs and police officers took place on Tuesday morning in North Rhine-Westphalia against organized crime involving illegal work, according to media reports. https://www.thelocal.de/20180130/customs-start-large-scale-raids-in-nrw-against-illegal-employment-report Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:08:52 +0100 customs-start-large-scale-raids-in-nrw-against-illegal-employment-report German customs seized seven times as much cocaine this year as they did in 2016, public broadcaster ARD reports. https://www.thelocal.de/20171227/2017-was-record-year-for-cocaine-seizures Wed, 27 Dec 2017 12:26:20 +0100 2017-was-record-year-for-cocaine-seizures Customs officials at Munich Airport became suspicious when they spotted a nervous-looking man who had just arrived on a flight from the Netherlands. Further investigation showed he had swallowed an astonishing quantity of cocaine. https://www.thelocal.de/20170908/drug-smuggler-caught-at-munich-airport-with-95-bags-of-cocaine-in-his-stomach Fri, 08 Sep 2017 14:56:12 +0200 drug-smuggler-caught-at-munich-airport-with-95-bags-of-cocaine-in-his-stomach On Thursday the German customs agency presented a huge quantity of cocaine which it had seized at Hamburg harbour. It was the largest cocaine seizure in German history. https://www.thelocal.de/20170720/german-customs-seize-largest-ever-haul-of-cocaine-worth-800-million Thu, 20 Jul 2017 16:24:18 +0200 german-customs-seize-largest-ever-haul-of-cocaine-worth-800-million Despite what stereotypes might have you believe, Germans aren't that different from the rest of us when it comes to social interactions. But these tips should help guide you through your next dinner invitation. https://www.thelocal.de/20160524/five-sure-fire-ways-to-master-german-manners-etiquette-customs Tue, 24 May 2016 19:44:20 +0200 five-sure-fire-ways-to-master-german-manners-etiquette-customs Customs officials at Frankfurt airport have recently seized huge quantities of unsafe fidget spinners, with 35 tons worth of the gadget being classed as unsafe at the airport in May alone. https://www.thelocal.de/20170616/frankfurt-airport-customs-seizes-tons-of-unsafe-fidget-spinners Fri, 16 Jun 2017 17:04:28 +0200 frankfurt-airport-customs-seizes-tons-of-unsafe-fidget-spinners When living away from your homeland, you might have relatives or friends send you a care package with a few treats to help keep homesickness at bay. https://www.thelocal.de/20170616/parcel-of-rotting-snake-heads-fish-and-larvae-denied-entry-to-germany-customs Fri, 16 Jun 2017 16:30:32 +0200 parcel-of-rotting-snake-heads-fish-and-larvae-denied-entry-to-germany-customs Drugs, luxury watches, protected animals - customs agents are used to preventing illegal items from crossing borders. But this one might just be the "king" of all attempted smuggles. https://www.thelocal.de/20170418/18-karat-gold-crown-found-in-baggage-at-dsseldorf-airport Tue, 18 Apr 2017 18:33:08 +0200 18-karat-gold-crown-found-in-baggage-at-dsseldorf-airport Customers officers did a double-take at Munich airport last week when a suitcase belonging to a man arriving from Thailand turned out to contain the reeking skull of an unfortunate ape. https://www.thelocal.de/20160205/customs-seize-stinking-ape-skull-from-travellers-luggage Fri, 05 Feb 2016 11:57:28 +0100 customs-seize-stinking-ape-skull-from-travellers-luggage What do you do with 25,000 litres of fake tequila? Set fire to it, apparently - with the Mexican Ambassador and the Tequila Regulation Council standing by to make sure the job's done properly. https://www.thelocal.de/20151210/25k-litres-of-fake-tequila-goes-up-in-flames Thu, 10 Dec 2015 15:52:43 +0100 25k-litres-of-fake-tequila-goes-up-in-flames A 50-year-old British woman is being held in custody in Munich on suspicion of attempting to smuggle two kilos of crystal meth out of Munich airport disguised as sweets. https://www.thelocal.de/20150731/british-woman-caught-smuggling-meth-bon-bons Fri, 31 Jul 2015 13:15:46 +0200 british-woman-caught-smuggling-meth-bon-bons Customs at Stuttgart Airport caught a passenger carrying one kilo of cocaine in her stomach over the weekend. https://www.thelocal.de/20141104/woman-smuggles-kilo-of-cocaine-in-stomach-stuttgart-ariport Tue, 04 Nov 2014 17:36:00 +0100 woman-smuggles-kilo-of-cocaine-in-stomach-stuttgart-ariport Customs officers at Munich Airport found 200 dead songbirds in a passenger's suitcase, officials said on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20141029/munich-customs-find-200-dead-birds-in-suitcase Wed, 29 Oct 2014 11:58:00 +0100 munich-customs-find-200-dead-birds-in-suitcase Some of the strangest items found by German border control might make you think again about whether border checks are over the top. The Local List takes a look. https://www.thelocal.de/20140827/ten-of-the-oddest-things-found-at-german-border-control Wed, 27 Aug 2014 14:46:00 +0200 ten-of-the-oddest-things-found-at-german-border-control A smuggler hid 110,000 cigarettes in plastic bags and distributed them around his car in an attempt to fool customs officials in eastern Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20140701/smuggler-hid-110000-cigarettes-in-car-germany Tue, 01 Jul 2014 12:54:00 +0200 smuggler-hid-110000-cigarettes-in-car-germany Border police in eastern Germany are claiming successes against crystal meth traffickers. A special unit set up last year has launched 170 investigations, seized 6.4 kilos of the drug and confiscated €100,000 in cash from smugglers. https://www.thelocal.de/20140618/germans-and-czech-team-up-in-crystal-meth-battle Wed, 18 Jun 2014 10:20:00 +0200 germans-and-czech-team-up-in-crystal-meth-battle A German pensioner was fined €15,000 for driving a Swiss car across the border into Austria, breaking a little-known EU law. An Austrian court has now ruled he cannot get his money back. https://www.thelocal.de/20140606/german-pensioner-fined-15000-by-austrian-customs-for-border-mistake Fri, 06 Jun 2014 12:46:00 +0200 german-pensioner-fined-15000-by-austrian-customs-for-border-mistake German customs officials on Wednesday said they had seized a record haul of synthetic drugs from a truck trying to cross the border. https://www.thelocal.de/20140528/customs-drugs-record-germany-amphetamine Wed, 28 May 2014 16:25:00 +0200 customs-drugs-record-germany-amphetamine