Woman gets time to pay fine for smuggling watch

A Maple woman has been fined $ 8,000 after she failed to declare a $ 27,000 designer men’s watch at Pearson airport when she returned home from a trip to the Middle East this summer. Customs officials found the watch in her luggage when she returned July 23. She had only declared goods worth $ 500. The fine is the equivalent of the unpaid duty and taxes on the watch, Canada Customs spokesperson Patrizia Giolti said. The woman will still have to pay the duty and taxes on the item, assessed by customs at 25 to 80 per cent of its value, if she wants it back. Watches and jewellery rank among some of the most commonly undeclared items entering the country, Giolti said. Customs officials have made more than 200 seizures of undeclared or under- declared jewellery and watches this year, worth more than $ 1.9 million. Alcohol, tobacco and narcotics are other frequently smuggled items.

Officials are trained to look for “ indicators of deception” that may qualify a traveller for a more thorough interview or luggage search, Giolti said. One important indicator is how a person responds to questioning.

“ What’s the person saying or not saying that should be said or not said? That’s the kind of thing we look at.”

Despite the high value of goods seized, Giolti said the majority of Canadians are obeying border regulations.

“ We believe over 90 per cent of our clients are more than compliant with rules and regulations ( but) there is a small percentage that will not declare for whatever reasons.”

Asfaneh Nasser pleaded guilty Oct. 28 to making a false declaration. She has six months to pay her fine.