lf l was a smuggler my wish list would be:-
1. Government to make all tobacco products very expensive. TICK
2. Government to do everything it can to stop people buying tobacco products in the EU where they are much cheaper. These people then become my customers. TICK
3. Government make it easy to counterfeit all the different brands by bringing in plain packaging. TICK
4. Government make it illegal to display any tobacco products and making it a regulation to hide tobacco products beneath the counter. This then allows the Russian and Chinese brands & counterfeit stuff to be stocked as well. TICK
5. l was going to say Government to disband UKBA/HMRC but seeing as they in reality work for me, the smuggler, that would be stupid.
Oh, happy days!"
And this dear folks is what Marlboro is talking about. Yes you are reading it right ... only 1kg of tobacco, 800 cigarettes, 200 cigarillos, 12 cases of beer, 6 bottles of wine and a bottle of JD. They took the lot ... and his CAR!
Pic courtesy of daytripper
Fuck that l'd have taken the bastards out and when babylon turned up l'd say l was protecting myself from muggers and l'm not joking
ReplyDeletewtf? these twats need sorting out. my mate knew one an he gobbed off how they sit about and laugh about taking stuff off peeps. l'm with prop on this.
ReplyDeleteI feel physically sick.
ReplyDeleteNo I'm, for once, not joking.
Whatever happened to a car seizure needing to be 'proportionate' to the possible duty evaded?
And this is a 'non-issue' (Simon Clark)???!
SH, i take it your're helping him appeal?
People read and learn. BE PREPARED (and as SH says in his advice DO NOT USE YOUR OWN CAR).
I'm guessing UKBA claimed he'd been abroad too many times and they assumed guilt? Or did he do something stupid like lie/conceal?
This looks very much like the promised toughening up promised by the Chancellor in Budget ie scare legit shoppers so no one dares buy abroad.
I'd love to see the Official guidelines for UKBA Agents on how to fill in receipts, there is no way that receipt looks 'compliant' to any standards.
Afraid this C156 is an old one SBC and have no idea what happened after this.
ReplyDeleteThese type of seizures are not uncommon l'm sorry to say as UKBA don't say that the guidelines are what they will allow you to bring back. They can and do confiscate less than their own guidelines.
The toughening up by Osbourne is still to come l'm afraid SBC and it will be sometime this month.
These seizures happen because people are indeed not prepared. So be prepared and if stopped ... hit them and hit them hard with all you've got! (this is not referring to Prop's comment :) )
Last week, on ITV's Smugglers, an Officer said to camera that a typical smoker would get through two and a half to three packets (50gm) of GV a week. So six months is 60, which is 12 boxes. Is that not approximately the guideline? I haven't been abroad since last summer. Would I be allowed 12 boxes?
ReplyDelete@ Anon 18:10
ReplyDeleteIt's not a question of 'allowance', the law allows you 120 boxes if you felt the need. UKBA however might steal your car even if you only have 1.2 boxes.
Can you prove that the 12 boxes are for your own use and the you 1.haven't been abroad since last summer and 2. that when you went abroad you didn't bring back more than you needed for 6 months?
AS long as you go prepared (READ SH's advice) then you should be alright.
PS 2nd part of 'Smugglers' tonight
ReplyDelete...the further exciting adventures of Our Brave Boys battling the evil Smugglers who seek to destroy our Great Nation.
Anon 18.10 ... 150gm per week x 52 = 7.8kg per year. That equates to 15.6 packs of 10.
ReplyDelete6 months would be 7.8 packs of 10 (3.9kg)
Why are stating what the UKBA said about tobacco consumption? Who cares what the typical smoker smokes ... it's what you smoke that is relevant.
SBC ... part 2 of Smugglers was pants! :)
ReplyDeleteSH, it seemed to want to stress that UKBA achieve their results by 'profiling'.
ReplyDeleteBollocks.
As said before, it's all down to intelligence...of the information not the IQ sort(come on, this the UKBA...).
99.9% of the honest population look nervous going through any form of control or as a copper said to me recently 'it's amazing how slow people drive if you're behind them in a squad car'.
The single most intelligent thing any of the UKBA officers said was 'we need to post some one on the places that sell duck tape/brown tape' or words to that effect.
The other thing of interest was that one jammed car boot tied up 6 officers for two hours...*sees a useful 'Direct Action' possibility*
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteI'm looking to go shopping next month - could you guys offer some advice please.
would I be within my right to buy 6kg of GV back if 3kg was a gift? also how will I fare if I have 3 other passengers each with the 3200 limit of cigarettes?
Thanks
Anon 12.53
ReplyDeleteyeah, read SH's site an if you want, mail him as he said
I've sent him a mail already, thanks.
ReplyDeleteJust a quick one - having read the site etc, will my passengers get grilled with regards to their finances, as two of them are students working part time, one works full time like myself.
@ Anon 14:29
ReplyDeleteYes, as sure as God made little grey aliens. If your party is stopped then you will all be subject to interrogation regarding your finances and they will take it as a sign of guilt if you can't account for every single penny you have had go through your account since the age of 13.
They may well decide that as some of your party are students that they can't afford to go abroad and are therefore smuggling.
I can't stress enough how important it is to follow SH's advice and BE PREPARED.
I've been bringing back stuff off and on for years and have always relied on my immense natural charm and Ivory White Sex God-y-ness to get through but recently I've realised that that is no longer going to cut it. UKBA have become more and more 'evil'.
That seems like it will be a problem then.. if one of our party receives monthly income from both part time work and university, would that suffice to prove being able to "afford" - also what is the case regards our other member, as their job is cash in hand, and I'm loaning her the money to make the purchase? Would showing them the ATM withdrawal receipt suffice?
ReplyDeleteAnon 19.40 get her parents to give her £500 and a letter saying so. Shit, my kids get £10 a week pocket money and thyre only 8 and 10.
ReplyDeleteExactly as Dave said, GET PAPER. Some proof of income. I would think that for the non-cash earners that a copy of bank statements in to which Mommy and Daddy and the employer pay would suffice. Just something, anything, so that they don't say 'oh I'm a student' and then , after the 'then you can't afford to go abroad', add 'but I get money from my parents/got a loan'. UKBA will always take your first answer as gospel.
ReplyDeletehypothetically speaking, if we had 3kg x 4 persons, and 16 sleeves would we be ok providing we all had seperate receipts, and ATM withdrawal/mini statements? And an idea of how long the smoke would last.
ReplyDeleteI was working on the basis of 20 a day approx 2 pouches a week, 60/3kg should last about 7 months?
I did email customs last week to enquire but got the usual dribble, of provide proof/depends on the day.
I've just written a statement to define that 16 cartons are for myself and 6kg are for my parents whom im treating - would I be better off doing it this way (I can prove I can afford it using wage slips showing 2-3k after tax), ss supposed to the students travelling with me who would struggle to show their income.
ReplyDeletethanks all
Are you paying more than $5 per pack of cigarettes? I'm buying my cigarettes over at Duty Free Depot and I'm saving over 50% on cigs.
ReplyDelete