Doncaster Airport

[dennisb66]

Came through donny airport early Wednesday morning at 0015.After collecting suitcases we made our way through the nothing to declare gate,lots of custom people around.Everyone was then directed to a room with baggage xray.I was asked if I was carrying any.
cigarettes i replied yes 400 in each of the two cases(oops) she then asked if i knew the correct allowance from tenerife,i replied yes.After the cases had been xrayed I was given a UK border Agency leaflet and told to be more careful next time.(lucky me)
I wonder if this was an exercise to discover large quantities of cigs or the suitcase scanner prior to the baggage conveyor was down.

[237SJ]

Probably just a pre-christmas clamp down. They like to make a show of force every now and again (the rest of the time, you never see the bu@@ers).

[spudqueen]

But if you knew the correct allowance from Tenerife (200 cigarettes each), why were you carrying 400 each? So yes, you were lucky.

So I doubt that this was an exercise to discover large quantities of cigs as it was obviously an exercise to educate people about the correct amounts of duty free they can bring back from outside the EU.

[buildersmate]

"......or the suitcase scanner prior to the baggage conveyor was down."

Since when has it been standard practice to scan bags after a flight? Bags are scanned before a flight for reasons of flight safety/security.

Bags are only searched on the way back by HM Customs after the owner has collected them.

[chrissa1]

What about that American smuggling through loads of guns from
The States? How didn't he get stopped?

It was on ITV this evening.

[dennisb66]

Buildersmate, I guess you never watch the TV reality customs programmes then. On one programme it showed the suitcases being scanned,it highlighted one case packed with cartons of cigs,the suitcase was then watched as it entered the conveyor to see who collected it,he was then of course stopped after entering the nothing to declare exit.
Spudqueen, is that a slap on the hand then?lol

[Prudie]

I expect it was because it was a flight from the Canaries where the cigarette allowance is completely different from EU. How many others, apart from you, were carrying more than the allowed 200? Quite a lot try it I'd guess.

[spudqueen]

Oh definitely a slap on the wrist! lol

[boxtops]

You were lucky to get away with it, dennis - it's outside EU regulations, 200 cigs is the limit (per person)

[Graham-W]

I thought the limit for cigs was 800 if brought in from a EEC country. As Tenerife is a Spanish island, is the allowance different.

[Prudie]

It is 800 from the EU but strangely although the Canaries belong to Spain they are not part of the EU so the limit is 200.

[Hopkirk]

Oh Buildersmate, how naive you are!

[spudqueen]

Graham-W - you've got to be careful. The Canaries are not classed as part of the EU, and nearer home, the Channel Islands are also not part of the EU, so you have to watch the amount of duty free you bring home from there.