German man caught allegedly trying to smuggle gold and silver out of Greece
Gold bars at the Czech Central Bank on September 05, 2011 in Prague.
A German man was arrested at Athens International Airport after allegedly attempting to smuggle half a ton of gold and silver out of Greece, the BBC reports.
The man was trying to board a Lufthansa flight back to Germany when the airline uncovered nearly 1,000 pounds of what the BBC calls silver "tablets" in a cargo container.
Customs officials subsequently found 15 pounds of gold and about $400,000 in banknotes.
It's an ironic development given Greece has long demanded further reparations from Germany over damages sustained during World War II.
This week, reports emerged that Greece will soon demand $261 billion in compensation, including sums taken from the Bank of Greece by German forces, the BBC says.
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