Anyone been stopped at Customs?

I got stopped once going into New York 2 years ago. the guy asked to look in my bag and suitcase, he poked around my bag i had some cameras in there, mine and my gf's, no problem there. Then the suitcase he asked for me to open it up so i went to get the key out my wallet, but it's not there :confused i must have lost it or locked it inside i told him. So he said he could cut the lock off, i didnt mind then, but i dont think he could be bothered and let me go. Nice chap

When i go to the hotel i managed to pick the lock, and my key was sitting there. :)
 
A friend of mine had an AP on his way to France for the 1998 world cup finals after he was caught attempting to swallow a lump of hash he forgot he had in his pocket.
 
I got stopped in Australia just recently. Guy and a girl, with a machine the size of shoebox. They said they wanted to check for gels and powders and had some documentation. I'd already had the dog sniffing my gear - dirty pooch! he must be sick of sniffing people

Anyway, they proceeded to get some fabric on a pair of tongues, swish it about my shirt and in my rucsac, and also my shoes. The girl then prodded the fabric into the machine - and then after 10 seconds she proclaimed that there was a green light and I could go. I asked them what it was about and, as I suspected, the machine was a Mass Spectrometer and they're checking for explosives. No ones is going to evade one of them, they're better than dogs.

When I'd gotten through, I looked back in case it was me they'd singled out .. but they were stopping everyone they could.

I just try to be pleasant, they must get loads of hassle, - you can't get out of it so just smile and let them get on with it.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;13691099 said:
I get stopped whenever I go to the states. It's because there is a British guy with the same name as me, who doesn't look like me, is 20 years older than me, has different fingerprints and a completely different biometric passport.
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John Smith!? :eek: :p

Balddog said:
Never been stopped at any airport tho...im white. :o
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Fixed ;)

I've never had an issues, you lot must be unlucky! :(
 
my mate got stopped going into switzerland due to an outstanding speeding fine. they weren't going to let him in at all but eventually they did and he had to attend court the next day (saturday am). he eventually got fined £1000 and was lucky not to go to jail, we were considering driving to Germany and putting him on a plane or going all the way to France and putting him on the tunnel :D
 
MooMoo444 said:
You must look untrustworthy. Chav maybe? :p
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Nooooo! :p I don't own any burberry, or a track suit! I drive a nice car, and have a respectable job... I always pay my rent on time... I swear! :( lol.

Side5wipe said:
I got stopped once going into New York 2 years ago.
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My girlfriend always get's a little nervous going through US customs, for no good reason! I'm a US citizen, and just walk though, but she has to queue up for ages, have her finger prints taken, pictures taken, asked a load of question.

Once when I was coming back to the UK from the US, my suitcase got searched while it was checked in... they completely trashed all of my stuff, broke CD's, and just chucked everything back in, un-folded, and it bairly fit in! Atleast they had the courtesy to leave a pre-printed letter letting me know my bag had been searched. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
People get nervous at US customs cos the dudes behind the desks look like they belong on COPS, guns and sunglasses at the desk....ive never seen that anywhere else but the US. Plus they are very aggressive in their manner .Even russia a decade+ ago wasnt as intimidating as NY.. :o
 
In my old job I used to take over 40 return flights a year worldwide and used to have alu cases that contained a lot of equipment, big 80L cases. Altough I knew a couple of the senior customs officers (on a personal level) I was never bothered about being stopped and searched. Especially coming from outside the EU and someone coming in and out of the country many times a year it's only sensible to check - you never know. Never phased me and never had anything I shouldn't have - then again I travelled so much I know the rules inside out. I did have a surprise once though when they came out with a cup of tea for me whilst they searched me and my colleagues cases (we'd finished a big job in Miami) and had several cases and bags to be checked. He was rather vexed he didn't get one (my friend was on shift I later found out, though he wasn't allowed to be involved in the search).

I've never had any problems with the customs officers, though I don't think it's the most effective way of doing things, but I guess it needs to be done.

If you go to America often you end up getting quite used to the herding and cross examination process. It's not a big deal really. I personally don't see it as that effective as you'll never really stop smugglers or bad guys from doing bad things... but hey to the average Joe that knows nothing about airports, airport security etc... I can see how they think it's effective.
 
Ha. Reminds me of when my bro was selling his car.

About a week after the Glasgow attacks, a guy came up from Stanstead to buy the thing.

Unfortunately for him at the time, as an Asian guy, he had 5 grand in cash on him. Apparently he had some explaining to do for around an hour. :D
 
I have been stopped twice this year and had my laptop swabbed. The second time I politely asked what they were doing - the only response was "Just a routine check sir."

I did think of asking them if they could make a better job of cleaning the screen but didn't want to miss my flight :p
 
A few years ago me and 6 mates were coming back from back from some eastern european country (can't remember which one as we go away 3 times a year) which had just joined the European Union.

We were all laden down with carrybags full of fags (max 3200 limit per person).

ANyway, customs pulled one of our group aside.

After 10 minutes he let him go. It turned out that although the country we visited was a member of the European Union, it had not ratified the vat and as such was still "duty free" and subject to the 200 fags limit.

He said him and his collegues couldn't beleive us lot weighed down by fags walking through nothing to declare as brazen as anything! He thought we had either made a mistake or were the stupidest group of smugglers he had ever seen.

He let us all off but said if he saw us again he would confiscate the fags or make us pay the duty next time.

I used to work for Customs & Excise and a female collegue once told me this story.

She was working the airports and stopped an old retired couple on a routine check from a flight from Amsterdam. SHe found a few video tapes (unmarked) in the luggage to which the couple said were "home movies" and told the couple she would have to go and check them out. The couple were told to wait and she went to a viewing room to watch them. It turned out they were home movies of the couple in various sexual acts with each other.

She said she couldn't look them in the eyes when she returned the videos. Of course the couple would know what she had seen.:o
 
In my youth I used to regularly get stopped coming backwards and forwards from events in Europe. Than again I did have dreads then and Customs Officers are frightened of dreads ;)
 
TBH, why would true terrorists blow planes out of the sky? Sureley it would be more effective doing it in the check in area's, a lot more people?

Not that i would EVER want it to happen! EVER!!

Im worried about when i go and come back from Ibiza!
 
I got threatened with Police action when I was going to Amsterdam as the 'frisker' person was a morbid piece of ****.

The machine buzzed when I went through, so I thought fair enough a pat down as usual. But no, this was different, he gave me a good old frisk down and I felt slightly abused after it, whilst he was doing it I jokingly said "******* hell this is a bit thorough isn't it", to which he replied "do you wanna miss your flight or what lad".

Then I started giggling as it was quite amusing having him feel all around the waist line of my jeans, with my yellow and blue spot boxer shorts on clear display in front of all of my mates! Who were all having a good giggle at it.

He then said if I didn't stop laughing I wouldn't be going anywere! So I kept quiet until he'd finished abusing me. Then I went to get my bag off the conveyor belt thingy, when one of his supervisors came down and tried to give me a lecture on swearing at staff and that the police were coming down if I didn't go on my way now.

Talk about making a scene out of nothing! I wouldn't mind, but we were being loud or rowdy or anything, I think he was just finding an excuse to have a go and probably had a bad morning!

This was from Liverpool's John Lennon airport by the way, miserable ******** the lot of them.
 
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I think I look like a smuggler or something because I always get searched.

they scan me, pat me down, inspect my shoes and empty my case all the time.

I must have a totally guilty look or something. I don't mind because it's piece of mind knowing they are actually doing their job properly.
 
Searched multiple times. Never a problem.

I do have a tendency to set of the metal detectors though - used to carry my x-rays with me to show the various bits of metal in me - don't bother anymore - they never believed that the x-rays were of me anyway.

I do enjoy the customs in America - especially the old questions you used to get asked. Was so difficult not to get sarcastic.

Are you now, or have you ever been a communist?
Are you now, or have you ever been a member of a terrorist organisation?
Are you actively planning to overthrow the United States Goverment?
Do you have anything in your possession that may cause a nuclear explosion?
Have you ever been involved in an act of Genocide?

Did people really get caught out by those questions?
 
Raymond Lin said:
On the flight back from Hong Kong me and my sister got stopped at customs, it must be my look after staying up the entire flight watching movies. Even though we didn't have anything illegal it was quite nerve racking for some reason whe he fired off some pretty standard questions.

Anyone been searched and anyone been caught ?
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I got stopped once at Heathrow on the way back to the UK for a funeral, I was tired and still in shock from having to get back to the UK quick... also I had overstayed my last tourist visa to Brazil.

got to customs and it was like you here (points at me), followed by the usual questions... then open your bags /let me have a look... I comply of course... then he just left everything drop my passport/ticket on the floor and walked off, I had to ask him if everything was ok to which he finally replied yes you are free. I thought: I hope so it's my home country afterall...
 
Flibster said:
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I do enjoy the customs in America - especially the old questions you used to get asked. Was so difficult not to get sarcastic.

Are you now, or have you ever been a communist?
Are you now, or have you ever been a member of a terrorist organisation?
Are you actively planning to overthrow the United States Goverment?
Do you have anything in your possession that may cause a nuclear explosion?
Have you ever been involved in an act of Genocide?

Did people really get caught out by those questions?
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Yup, I used to love those questions. When asked if I was a member of any party that advocated the violent overthrow of a legally elected government, I always felt tempted to admit that I was a Tory part member and I suspected that they had in the past had some sort of opposition to Adolf Hitler.

I was chastised recently for failing to take sufficiently seriously the cunning interrogation by a check-in girl as to whether I had packed my luggage, etc., etc., etc.
 
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