GENEVA, Thursday 10 June 2010 (AFP) - Swiss customs officers seized one tonne of contraband frozen chips near the French border on Thursday, authorities said.

The French fries were being transported by a Swiss company for resale in the country. The vehicle was stopped in the Val-de-Ruz district in Neuchatel canton after crossing the French border, the head of the border police in the Neuchatel-Jura region said in a statement.

Customs officers had pinpointed the vehicle as being potentially suspicious when it left the country the week before. The driver's unconvincing explanation about the vehicle's contents had raised eyebrows among customs officers, who set up a surveillance operation.

The driver had to pay customs charges and a heavy -- but unspecified -- fine.