Luxury-watch smuggling rises at Farga de Moles crossing

So far in 2025 customs at the Farga de Moles crossing have intercepted six luxury watches with a combined value of €162,600, bringing the average value per seized piece this year to about €27,100 — up from €19,737 in 2024, when authorities seized 16 watches worth a total of €315,800. Those totals do not include watches later reclaimed by owners after regularising their status.

Customs and fiscal authorities say the shift reflects smugglers moving away from traditional contraband such as tobacco, some spirits and certain electronics, whose price differentials have narrowed, toward higher‑end timepieces that are easily transportable and retain value. Seized items typically exceed €5,000, with reported market prices ranging from roughly €6,000 to €150,000 and ultra‑exclusive models from makers such as Patek Philippe commanding particularly high international prices. Brands most commonly involved include Rolex, Cartier and Hublot.

Tax Agency figures cited by local media put fraud associated with this traffic at about 27% of a watch’s value — the unpaid 21% VAT plus 6% customs duty. That corresponds to an estimated average evasion of €5,328 per watch in 2024 and €7,317 per watch so far in 2025.

Authorities say the ability to buy expensive pieces in cash in Andorra, combined with lower perceived costs and risks compared with other money‑laundering mechanisms, makes luxury watches attractive for converting opaque funds into tangible assets. Interceptions generally occur when travellers cannot prove a watch was bought in Spain before entering Andorra or when they declare an intention to move the item from the Principality to a third country.

Customs services and the Guardia Civil responsible for fiscal control at the Lleida–Andorra crossing have made illicit trade in luxury watches a priority. The issue was discussed at recent border‑traffic sessions organised by the Guardia Civil command in Lleida with representatives of the Tax Agency and state security forces.

From January, following changes linked to Gibraltar, the Farga de Moles crossing is expected to be the only land customs point operational on the Iberian Peninsula, concentrating scrutiny on this frontier.

After seizure, two administrative timelines apply: a 90‑day period during which an owner may recover a watch by paying the applicable taxes and fees — roughly increasing the cost by about 27% — and any sanction if legal origin cannot be shown; and a six‑month term in cases where the carrier claims an intention to re‑export the product, provided the required fiscal conditions are met.