This year, the experts from the Ural Customs Administration have been trying to decrease the number of goods imported to the region from Kazakhstan that go undeclared or declared wrongly. Trying to declare lighter weights for fruit, vegetables ant other types of agricultural produce appears to be the most commons offense

The customs withdrew 2.631m RUR worth of goods and initiated 453 administrative suits and 19 criminal suits in 2006, all due to the false weight figures. They also imposed 680,000 RUR worth of fines.

It looks like the main reason for these violations of the law is the lack of modern equipment at the car terminals at the customs. Seven out of nine terminals were set up in the 90s were actually meant to have operated on a temporary basis; they have never been upgraded since and do not meet the modern customs control requirements, reports the Ural Customs Administration.