Swiss Border Guards' Illegal Operations: Meat Smuggling and Hemp Seed Monitoring
Swiss border guards were caught in a major scandal involving the illegal monitoring of hemp seeds and meat smuggling across the border with Austria. The operations, codenamed 'Knobli' and 'Megro', resulted in charges for violating foreign territorial sovereignty. Two post commanders and an operations officer were sentenced to conditional fines but are appealing the conviction. The trial for the appeal is set for October 6 and 7 at the Federal Criminal Court.
The scandal began in 2018 and 2019 when border guards seized hemp seeds that could potentially yield six tons of cannabis over four days. The operation was uncovered by chance when a municipal police officer from St. Gallen was stopped with hemp seeds in his luggage. Plainclothes investigators were involved, watching shopping tourists and passing on license plate numbers.
The 'Megro' operation involved illegally smuggling meat into Switzerland to avoid taxes and customs duties. The border guards were acting illegally as they did not have cooperation from local Austrian police. They secretly spied in Vorarlberg, Austria, to combat hemp seed and meat smuggling. Markus Kobler, the first commander, was not charged but has been transferred to a consultant role without personnel responsibility.
The Swiss border guards' illegal activities have raised serious questions about their methods and cooperation with local authorities. The upcoming trial will determine the fate of the two post commanders and an operations officer appealing their conviction. The results of this trial could have significant implications for the future operations of the Swiss border police.
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