Customs officials at Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Monday detained a Russian traveler carrying a gold watch worth 54.5 million rubles ($1.7 million) in his hand luggage, the Federal Customs Service said.
The man passed through the "Nothing to Declare" Customs corridor instead of filing a declaration and paying 30 per cent of the cost of the diamond-encrusted Jacob & Co Rainbow Tourbillon watch.
The unnamed passenger told Customs officials that he received the watch as a gift in the United States and was unaware of its actual cost, Russian media reported quoting a Customs press release.
Jacob & Co, which was founded in the early 1980s by Jacob Arabo, an immigrant from Uzbekistan, counts movie stars and other celebrities among the owners of its luxury watches and jewelry, the report said.
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