Duty Free

[stevo preston uk]

Hi there i have been over to Big Budgie for a few times in the last few years but has anyone ever been stopped going threw customs.
Just thought this might have been a good thread to start with.

:rose: :grouphug: :rose:

[Stephen]

never been stopped from GC but have seen people stpped all the time at Manchester , Tenerife last time i went was the worst they stopped everyone and confiscated all over the limit fags and booze including the limit they were allowed , think they were acting on a tip off as i got told on resort that they were going to stop our flight

[swifty]

on way back from canaries last year they stopped everyone and asked how many cigs they were carrying.
the last time i came back no one was stopped.
they seem to have a crack down every now and then.

[malkyem1]

Hi there i have been over to Big Budgie for a few times in the last few years but has anyone ever been stopped going threw customs.
Just thought this might have been a good thread to start with.

:rose: :grouphug: :rose:stevie on coming back to glasgow airport they announce that all baggage will be suject to checks twice this has been all baggage through the exray machine mostly during the night seems to be the worst timeits happened to me 3 times luckily not enough extra to be worth bothering about but last may everyone just got waved through all the bags must have had the correct sticker on them malky:banana:

[oor wullie]

Got stopped last year. I didn't have a clue what was going on.Then they took out from my hang luggage a boxed bottle of wine i bought for the neighbours for looking after the house , they opened the box and inside was a corkscrew which is what they were after.Such a silly thing ,that i never gave a second thought to when packing. Because these guys don't speak english it's pretty scary and very embarrassing. they let me keep the wine. A glass bottle mustn't be a dangerous weapon then or would the airports lose too much money , so they overlook that one?:glare:Never been stopped at Gatwick but Newcastle is another story. Went to visit the loos after one flight and there was ciggies piled sky high in the cubicles. some one must have got wind (sorry) of what was going on and dumped the lot...

[karen0603]

hi
i've been to pr 4 times and have never been stopped coming into Preswick (don't bring to many ciggies just in case)its worth a chance as your not loosing to much money with the prices over in pr being so cheap
karen:banana:

[Sandy]

I work for the Inland Revenue ( Not the Customs side) and took the chance 4 years ago to come back with an extra carton of cigarettes. Guess what I was stopped. The one and only time to get nabbed and this was it. Oh my God !
I explained to the guy that I was only over by only 200 cigs and that they were situated on the top of the case under the towels. (Non smoker by the way, they were gift for my sister). He just scowled at me and said open up. He went through absolutely everything even the C.D player my daughter was carrying, inside shoes, . I don't look like a criminal so why was I being treated like one. He read the riot act and held me up by over 40 minutes for my minibus home. He issued me with a letter to take to my solicitor if I wanted the cigs back. I thought You're havin a laugh mate.

I wouldn't put myself through this humiliation again and also my job is at risk. Worst thing is my friends were over on tobacco, cigs drink the lot. The other guy on the opposite side opened up their case had a rummage through saw all the drink and said Ok on you go. ??
Whats that all about. Its up to the individual but you have to suffer the consequences if you're caught and it aint funny having everyone stare at you as they pass through, especially when you're no big time crim and you only have an extra carton of cigs.

:p

[MARCUS]

And just to add to add to those words.It is actualy ilegal to attempt to take the cigarettes out of the island aswell! Oh Yes if you are caught at this end then they will be taken off you there and then!!
I have seen quite a few cartons of "regal kingsize" nicely packed up in the airport police station!
Marcus (a non supporter of the inland revenue);) x

[Sandy]

MArcus...Don't be like that with me. I'm one of the good ones that gives you money.

[2-islandangie]

We have been over the limit with tobacco each time we have come back. We were bringing it back for our dog-sitter.
We have never been stopped going through customs - however my husband's case was "rifled" last year (despite the fact that it was locked with 2 locks). 2 packs of tobacco were removed from his case sometime after we checked the cases in & got them back in UK. It was the only thing missing from the case. And it was locked when we got it back!!!!
We complained to the airline & they reimbursed us.
Needless to say we will not be needing to exceed the limit now.

[garyc]

Funny story about my experience with customs...

Due to an... erm... oversight... I was 3 times over the limit returning from my first trip to LP.

Unfortunately, my case ended up going to the wrong airport and I had to fill out a missing luggage form. The form required me to state hom much duty free, if any, was in the case. I asked the guy what the limit was and just put that figure.

I was then told that, because my bag had gone on its own little journey, it would be fully checked by customs and then delivered to my home. Sure enough, it was finally delivered to my home with customs stickers all over it - And the smokes were still in there... except... One of the cartons had been opened and a packet was removed... A customs sticker had been used to re-seal the carton.

Instead of confiscating the lot they'd seen fit to remove a single pack. Perhaps my customs officer was a smoker too - I just hope he's smoked Kruger before (Kruger is rather rough and can be an acquired taste)


I have nothing against the customs guys at all, they're just doing their job I guess. Except the one that put his ungloved hand inside by GF's huge drum of Cola-Cao (a spanish drinking chocolate she likes) and rummaged around ... we had to throw that away. We complained of course, but no apology.

With all things in life, some people are good and some ain't.


-Gary

[Funseeker]

Coming back to the UK last week around midnight, the Customs Hall was crawling with officers. This was probably because there were 4 flights due in from the islands.

My mate had 12,700 on him, split up between his family. His missus got stopped and lost 5,000 of them. He carried on walking and left her to it!

The best one I've heard is when another mate of mine became ill on the plane home a couple of years ago. He was met at Gatwick by an ambulance that whisked him and his luggage, complete with 5,000 cigs, off the local hospital!

:grin: Now that's the way to do it!

[malkyem1]

Coming back to the UK last week around midnight, the Customs Hall was crawling with officers. This was probably because there were 4 flights due in from the islands.

My mate had 12,700 on him, split up between his family. His missus got stopped and lost 5,000 of them. He carried on walking and left her to it!

The best one I've heard is when another mate of mine became ill on the plane home a couple of years ago. He was met at Gatwick by an ambulance that whisked him and his luggage, complete with 5,000 cigs, off the local hospital!

:grin: Now that's the way to do it!dont know if the story is true but i was told all baggage is x-rayed in the canaries and a sticker put on if any large contraband is seen they will check your bag when you get to u k must put some mark on it malky

[kc13661]

Recently come back from Gran Canaria, flew back into UK via Newcastle.. customs are pretty hot there, regarding tobacco. There were a few people seperated into cubicles for interviewing and their cases were left open in full view as a warning... all cases were packed full with cartons of cigarrettes.
Remeber before you get to see your luggage at the carousel it has already been checked by customs out of sight.... " If they want you they will have you "

[rab_c.]

dont know if the story is true but i was told all baggage is x-rayed in the canaries and a sticker put on if any large contraband is seen they will check your bag when you get to u k must put some mark on it malky
dont want to say too much on this subject but yes it is possible that baggage is marked in the canaries after being xrayed

as a security worker in an airport i can say that no baggage is checked by customs incoming until you are reunited with it your luggage is unloaded to transport by handlers and put directly on the carousel but it can be checked on the outward journey.

a lot of illegal smugglers give the game away on the outward journey by putting a smaller case with their belongings inside another one meaning the larger one once the smaller one is removed is empty this is picked up by hold baggage xray and passed on to customs who eagerly await their return to check the irregularityand contraband if any.
rab_c.

[Doodle]

I have had my suitcase come around on the carosel with "inspecto" (or something like that) not once, not twice but for 3 years running!!

I must have a dodgy looking suitcase - infact one year my main case and a smaller one i use for shoes (i know, i know!!) had both been checked and the smaller one's handle had be broken! I didnt bother to complain though.

Also i noticed there was a white chalk mark on them both as well as stickers (must be the secret signal or something!)

Am far too frightened to try and bring back extra ciggies due to the customs picking on me all the time!!!

[Terry L]

I had a big blue sticker with a number on it on my case when it came back through gatwick. I just took it off on the sly, I wasn't much over the limit though and never got stopped

[sussexbabe]

Went to GC 3 times last year and got stopped on my last trip coming back in november........blagged it by saying i wasn't aware of the limits(plsyed the dumb blonde bit)........Still had the rummaging in suitcase bit.
He asked me and my friend where we worked and when he found out i was a manager of his local off licence he let me go!!!!!!!!
I had 3000 malboro menthol and he said it would be hard for me to sell them on, so he didnt think i was doing to make money...............CHEEKY GIT..
Off to PDI on monday and already panicking over the amount i will bring back....so hard to resist when they are so cheap.

[mary]

3000 - where did you put them all

[sussexbabe]

split between mine and friends suitcase....didn't realise how much i had bought as i was getting some most days!!!

[BlonDane]

You can get 200 cigs for 3.95 in the Jardin Del Sol centre in PDI. Some american blend I've never heard of .
Just a tip from a local:D