Today's adventures with customs

[losinit@usa.net (Cathy Boyko)]

Okay, so off I go again, too cheap to pay a broker, so I do the US mailin=
g
address thing, which I've done many times. And agree to have another set =
of
goodies sent there for someone else, should be no problem. So I contact t=
he
other guy, who will not be named pending notification of his family, and =
we
set up a secret meeting place (okay, the Duty Free) and there we hatch a
plot...So he is supposed to follow me, and I give him really skimpy
instructions on where we are going, since he is following me and we have =
cell
phones. (can you see where this is going?)

I'm first through Customs, and have the passport all ready, and I decide =
to be
all honest (MISTAKE) and say I'm going over to pick up some car parts. We=
ll,
now it's Where? Are they for your car? ( well, yes, but the other guy is
getting some too but I don't mention that) What car are they for? And wha=
t do
you do? Do you have a business? etc...it goes on for some time. I'm think=
ing
the other guy is toast, young, male, old car (MkI Rocco)...So I pull ahea=
d and
wait, and wait, and wait, no signs of him. So off I go after it is clear =
he
ain't coming, and get the parts. I try phoning, but no cell service...

So I hit the other side, with two of everything (we're talking Quaifes he=
re),
and go in to pay the taxes (and discover that "warrantee replacement" mea=
ns
you still pay full taxes). Same deal...show me who you work for ( I produ=
ce my
teacher's card, looking for the Mohawk College one), are you reselling th=
ese?
(would you like to see the four VW ownerships in my purse? yes, I could u=
se
all those parts...) So I pay and then they decide to launch into a phone
verification of whether the business on the bill really exists, and then =
the
car search. I'm a wreck by the time this is over, and still have no clue =
where
the other guy is, could be in jail for all I know...but I have his diff, =
so
I'm sure he was more worried. Turns out he got yanked in for interrogatio=
n,
(something about his story being vague...) and we finally met up and all =
is
well. But serves me right for being honest. They must have served bad ham=
 at
the Custom's Easter dinner. Bunch of miserable so and so's. =

And it's not the Sept 11 thing either, I've done this since then and it w=
asn't
a hassle at all. I thought they were going to sieze it. Thanks for listen=
ing.
Now tell me your worst Customs horror story. It wouldn't bother me, but I=
 had
real bills and paid on the full value and they still made me feel like a
criminal. Next time I'll just smuggle...
Done ranting, Cathy