HM Customs stole my tobacco

[Stan_Lite]

I got back from working in Egypt earlier than expected yesterday.
The first available flight from Alexandria was Saturday so my company arranged for us to fly from Cairo-Amsterdam-Aberdeen in the early hours of Friday morning.

After coming off night shift and hanging around for ages waiting for various things (chopper, immigration etc.) we eventually got to Cairo airport at about 23:30. Our flight wasn't until 02:55 so we went and had a few beers before visiting the duty free shop.
They didn't have my brand of tobacco but they had other stuff that is ok so I bought 3x250gram boxes. I also bought a box of 25 "Cuban" cigars.

We got to Amsterdam and whilst waiting for my colleague, I noticed that they had my brand in the duty free shop there so I bought a 500gram pack from there.

When we got back to Aberdeen, I got taken into the Customs bit to have my bags searched.
The customs officer asked if I knew the limits for taking stuff back into the country and I admitted I had no idea (I foolishly assumed that the relatively small amount I had would be fine ).

It transpires that I was only allowed to take 250grams back from Egypt as this is duty-free but up to 3Kg from Amsterdam as this is duty paid.

He then drew the sign on the wall to my attention which said that if you are carrying more than your limit then all of your stuff will be confiscated. I gave a bit of a and said "Oh great". The customs guy filled out the form and told me he had to confiscate the Cairo stuff but as the Amsterdam stuff was within the limit, I could keep that.

I suggested that since it was obviously a genuine mistake, I would be happy to pay the duty on the goods but was told that as I'd come through the green channel, I had forfeited the right to do this.

After he had filled out the form and taken all my details he said "it's no big deal." "This won't go on record".
At this point my patience snapped and I replied "It might be no big deal to you mate, but that's about seventy quids worth you're stealing from me."
He replied that he wasn't stealing it but following the procedure. I tried to make him see that confiscating it was unnecessary as it was a genuine mistake but he said that the rule was there to stop people from abusing the duty-free system.

I told him that I understood that and agreed that it was reasonable to confiscate goods from people who were smuggling large quantities into the country for selling on for profit but that the quantity I had was obviously for personal use and that I should be allowed the opportunity to pay the duty and learn my lesson that way.

My main gripe is that, depriving someone of goods they have paid for without reasonable cause is tantamount to theft.
If I had been given the opportunity to pay the duty to correct my mistake, I would have had no complaints but confiscating the relatively small amount I had was unnecessary and therefore HM Customs have deprived me of the use of my property without just cause.

Before anyone says it, I realise that it would have been wise to check up on what I was allowed to bring back but I genuinely thought that the small amount I had bought would be fine.

I realise that this is probably a pointless thread but I am furious and needed to have a good rant. I would also be interested to hear other people's opinions. Do you think HM Customs were justified in confiscating my property or do you also think they were unnecessarily heavy-handed?

Stan

PS: I was looking forward to those cigars

 

[Stan_Lite]

To those people who think they were justified in confiscating the tobacco and cigars.

Do you think it would be acceptable if your car was confiscated if you forgot to pay your road tax or your telly if you forgot to pay your TV licence?
In both of these cases you are given ample opportunity to pay up before further action is taken? Why should taking duty-free tobacco products into the country be different?

Stan

 

[Stan_Lite]

If you walked through an area for people that have paid their road tax/tv licence, then yes.

Most people who don't pay their road tax, use their cars on roads that are for the use of people who have paid their tax.

Stan

 

[Stan_Lite]

You broke the rules. They enforced the law. Your problem for not finding it out! You went through the green zone which has plenty of signs warning you about what you are and aren't allowed to bring from different countries, don't try and blame your mistake on other people.

Saying that should have just charged you the duty is like saying that someone stealing something from a shop should just be asked to return the goods, rules need to be enforced or they won't work at all.

FYI, there were no signs in the green zone regarding allowances nor were there any in the shop where I bought the goods.

I accept that I am at fault for not checking the allowances before buying the stuff and have never claimed otherwise. I fail to see where you get the idea that I was trying to blame anybody else for my mistake
I still maintain however, that confiscating the goods rather than allowing me to pay the duty owed was unnecessarily harsh.

For those who asked, I was not allowed to keep the 250g I was entitled to have - the rules state that if you are carrying more than your allowance, you forfeit the entire amount

Stan

 

[Stan_Lite]

He acted within the law Stan, but the fairness of that law is something else. Although not a police matter, the cops can exercise discression with certain things but I have found that discression is not in the dictionary for HM Customs. Seventy quids worth of baccy does not exactly make you a major smuggler and although it is true that the information is available to check your limits, it is bloody unfair, I think, for the whole amount to be forfeited and no option available to pay back duty if stopped and it is a genuine mistake, and I believe you when you say this.

It hasn't been stolen from you, although you are rightly p'd off about it, but I would say that the law concerning limits can be unfair and while tobacco remains very expensive in this country through excessive taxation, people are going to try to get stuff through and that includes large quantities. The Government have only themselves to blame for the rise in smuggling. I of course, don't mean you here mate.

Although I have used the words stolen and theft, I do realise that it isn't actually theft but as you rightly point out, I am extremely brassed off about it and that is how I feel.

My main problem is in regards to the whole lot being confiscated without having the opportunity to rectify my mistake. Also, the zeal with which the customs officer carried out his duties was most unseemly. I am all in favour of people enjoying their jobs but to grin and say "it's no big deal mate" whilst taking somebody's stuff away from them is, in my opinion, not the attitude of a fair minded individual.
I appreciate you saying you believe me but then you know me and he didn't. I just wish he hadn't enjoyed it so much

I was going to bring the cigars to the next meet too, so it's not just me who will miss out

Stan

 

[Stan_Lite]

******* Customs !!!!!!!

If I go through Amsterdam again, I'll get some from there - legally

Stan