Have you ever smuggled anything into Canada?

[speedog]

Simple enough question, have you ever smuggled anything into Canada?

Bought something in another country and brought it back into Canada without declaring it - only two options in the poll because that's all that is needed.

[colsankey]

I usually hring back back booze with me when coming back from the US, the exemption is some silly amount like 1.14 litres of liquor, and 2 bottles are 1.5 litres. I always declare im over my exemption limit and its always flagged at customs. When i explain why, the boarder agents almost universally sigh, roll their eyes and wave me through. But i figure its not worth the hassle of not declaring it, and someone being a stickler.

[spikerS]

yeah, I have a few times, but nothing crazy, and in my defense I didn't realize I was smuggling at the time.

and it was only knock off watches for me, and purses for family.

and to add to what colsankey said, when I have come back from the states, I declare that I have a couple cases of coors that I bought, even though I had only been gone like 2 hours, and they never care.

[rage2]

Always declare. Not worth getting busted especially if you want Nexus.

I almost got screwed over once though. 4 of us on a trip, bought 4 cartons of smokes. Other 3 had Nexus and ditched me so I walked through customs with 4 cartons which is way over the limit. Explained what happened, told I can't do that and don't do it again. Waved me through.

[btimbit]

Stretched the truth over booze amounts a few times but that's it. Not in a while though, since I've started being honest about being over (Not by much) I've never had to pay up anyway

[C_Dave45]

Many times.

Living 5 minutes from the border, we shopped down there a couple times a week. Used to buy all the beer for the hockey team. 6 dozen, twice a week.
Picked up 6 dozen one night. Had a game the next day...so I kept the receipt and bought the very same amount and brand of beer. Tried to come through using that receipt from the night before. Very cute, young agent said "someone called with your plate saying you just bought it now". It was a 100% bluff but I fell for it. Busted. Lost the beer and had to pay the duty. 3 days later, same girl, same purchase, and I told her "yes, same as before". She waved me through!! Said "get going before I change my mind".

Lots of small stuff. Sporting goods, clothes, etc.

Oh and then the best was when I was 16 and me and my buddy went down to get roller skate wheels and bearings (high end stuff) and instead of going through customs, we just drove over the ditch at zero avenue near Aldergrove to get back into Canada!!

https://goo.gl/maps/YXLBKrRhYn62


» Click image for larger version

[D'z Nutz]

I used to when I was younger, but I don't any more partly because I don't really spend enough to go over the exemption, but mostly because it's not worth the hassle if I get busted just to save a few bucks. In fact, sometimes I actually force myself to buy a few things I wouldn't have otherwise bought simply because I'm worried customs agents won't believe me if I say I'm only bringing back like $8 worth of stuff haha

The last time I actually went over the exemption was in 2010 when I brought back a guitar. My sisters only brought like $50 worth of junk food, so the customs agent split up the value of the guitar between the three of us and waved us through haha

A couple years ago I brought back a knockoff wallet back for a friend from Hong Kong, but I didn't know it was a big deal not to until after I passed security at the HK airport. I don't know if customs would have actually hassled me for an terribly fake wallet I spent $15 on, but my mind was racing for like 13 hours on the way home

[Sentry]

Yeah 20 keys back in the late 70s.

[xnvy]

Originally posted by Sentry
Yeah 20 keys back in the late 70s.

Narcos Season 3!

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Never.

[Maxt]

Just a budgie.

[suntan]

I once declared fresh fruit. It was an orange. The customs agent made me show him the orange. All was good.

[carson blocks]

I make it a point never to fuck with the border guys. Yes sir, no sir, and declare everything. They have the ability to make your life hell, impede your travel plans, and take apart your car on a whim, so I try to stay in their good books. I've made honest mistakes before, like a math error that was simply corrected by the counter guy as he could tell I wasn't trying to pull anything. I'm sure I've also forgotten the odd small item, but always try to declare as accurately as possible as the last thing I want is to be flagged in their system. In turn, they've actually been pretty fair with me on my many crossings.

[The_Penguin]

Used to do it occasionally in the 80's on electronics back when stuff was WAY cheaper in the U.S. Not any more though.
Lately we're almost always over on alcohol and when we declare it they rarely make us pay.

[rx7_turbo2]

14 years old, every single type of chewing tobacco we don't have here.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by rage2
Always declare. Not worth getting busted especially if you want Nexus.

I almost got screwed over once though. 4 of us on a trip, bought 4 cartons of smokes. Other 3 had Nexus and ditched me so I walked through customs with 4 cartons which is way over the limit. Explained what happened, told I can't do that and don't do it again. Waved me through.

This.

I've had Nexus for a few years now and and have often come back from trips to the USA (clothes, etc.) or India (gold & jewels) and never declared anything. I recently found out that if you get caught, you lose your Nexus status and can't get it again, which is enough for me to declare everything now.

[AndyL]

Only accidentally...

Friend sent some plants - got them, then tried to order some more from a retail source - then I got educated...

Amusingly there was no attempt to hide the material, was even labeled as live plant cuttings on the little sticker for customs... Should have been destroyed but it was delivered...

[dirtsniffer]

Smuggled my wifes engagement ring in. no way I wanted to pay whatever duty on that. Also she was with me, sooo declaring it may have been awkward.

[kertejud2]

Coming back from Paris one time I decided to stop in London for a few days. I was buying a couple cheesy touristy items to give to people and the cashier asked me in broken English "are you leaving today" which I thought was a weird question since I was past customs at the airport so I said yes and I got my items without the tax.

Spent my few days in London and when I was leaving Heathrow I had to buy some more cheesy tourist tat when the cashier asked if I was leaving the EU that day in order to get the stuff without the tax. Realized that's what the French lady was trying to ask me and I would have lied to her and robbed the French government of a couple Euros.

That is the story of how I was an international smuggler.