Customs Officers are quite tolerant these days, but they can still stop you
when you are going through the Green Channel and have nothing to declare. Even
really honest people are often made to feel guilty. The hardened professional
smuggler, on the other hand, is never troubled by such feelings, even if he
has five hundred gold watches hidden in his suitcase. When I returned form
abroad recently, a particularly officious young Customs Officer clearly
regarded me as a smuggler.#
'Have you anything to declare?' he asked, looking me in the eye.#
'No', I answered confidently.#
'Would you mind unlocking this suitcase please?'#
'Not at all,' I answered.#
The Officer went through the case with great care. All the thing I had packed
so carefully were soon in a dreadful mess. I felt sure I would never be able
to close the case again. Suddenly, I saw the Officer's face light up. He had
spotted a tiny bottle at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with
delight.#
'Perfume, eh?' he asked sarcastically. 'You should have declared that. Perfume
is not exempt from import duty.'#
'But it isn't perfume,' I said. 'It's hair gel.' Then I added with a smile,
'It's a strange mixture I make myself.'#
As I expected, he did not believe me.#
'Try it!' I said encouragingly.#
The officer unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to his nostrils. He was
greeted by an unpleasant smell which convinced him that I was telling the
truth. A few minutes later, I was able to hurry away with precious chalk marks
on my baggage.&