janet57

Just a warning to anybody travelling through france to england.we were stopped in france by the police .[after letting french.polish trucks through]and asked what tobacco we had we told them we had 6 packs of tobacco and 8 sleeves of cigs.they then made us follow them to the local nick.they confiscated all but 2 sleaves of cigs and 2 tobacco.kept us there for 3 hours why they typed 4 sheets of french blog and give it us.I asked what it said [and in a voice from the policeman in allo allo]he said that is all you are allowed per vehicle.then let us go......and then shouted after us...have a good trip .not only do we not smoke [it was for friends and relatives]we had missed out boat at dieppe and had to wait 8 hours for the nexy one....we travel to spain every other week[never get stopped in spain] the french police seem to stop every british truck[but theres not many of us now]

Big Pete

Frenchy`s never did like them !! And i knew they didnt like us Brits
Now you have just confirmed it bet the buggers keep them for themselves

bfg69bug

you got caught technically smuggling tabacco, got let off with a warning, and now you are complaining ?

i'd think yourself lucky !!

thrifty

try it in germany i got a 33 euro fine and 600 cigs confiscated in a romanian van i bought my tobacco in luxembourg and they nicked that too even though i complained i had paid EU tax on it i only had 2kgs buggers ok so the cigs were romanian and ok i accept it was not ok but the baccy i was well miffed about

jdr

There are no official amounts, just suggested, on what you can take through customs in the EU.
If they think it is not for your personal use then they can confiscate it.
Maybe you had too much of each, you should of kept it to baccy or ciggies of the same make.

janet57

we did.the tobacco was the same brand.my partner said it was for him and the cigs were the same i said they were for me. we know someone who was stopped and they told him they were confiscating his tobacco.so he got out of his truck[when there backs were turned]put the tobacco under the wheels of his truck and ran over them and confiscated them himself.the police were not amused.

jdr

When you say police, do you mean custom officers ?
You are not breaking the law until you try to leave France with them anyway.

onlineamiga

Sounds very odd doesnt even look like you had that much to be honest.
Ah well next time get the ferry straight to spain avoiding france alltogether. At least that way you dont have to step on yucky yucky yucky french soil!

Every since i went to Lille i've fallen out with France. Total s*it hole.

janet57

yes your right customs i meant.and yes it is a s--t hole they even expect you to use one in the floor in the toilets.i also think its wrong that they think its normal to close the mens or womans toilets and you have to use one toilet.is it me being old fashioned ,but i dont want to go into the mens toilet or have them coming into the womens when i am trying to have a wash.right moaner arnt i.

Keri2323

That doesnt seem a lot at all

Were you carrying a gun?

janet57

I did suggest that as it was a week before christmas they were stocking up for themselves[in a calm voice]but that did not go down too well with them.

Mitzyboy

Strange .... it is actually not illegal to buy cigarettes in Spain and take them to the UK under H M Customs & Revenue Management Act - after all this IS the EU. So you weren't smuggling tobacco at all. I have no idea why they took it off you, although I have heard of similar stories of counterfeit designer handbags and stuff being confiscated which I guess you can understand. There ARE British customs officers stationed in France at the ports.

The law is that the goods must be for personal use, and not for re sale or gifts. Thats why people are able to go to Calais and fill up their cars with wines & spirits & tobacco and return to the UK with impunity. I think the French have just decided its a way of getting cheap cigarettes!!

janet57

You can take them on the plane.they never stop us at calaise.it is the new law in france they stop you before you get there .your right about eu but its the same with trucks on sunday you cannot go through france with a truck unless it has fresh produce on.but they can come through england on sunday.also you have to buy road tax daily if you go through belgium they dont buy road tax in england.dont get me started........tony blair get your finger out.

janet57

bit dispondent at the moment .we bought 30thousand square metres of land 18 months ago near peniscola we have done everything we were told ie spanish solicitet spanish architect.all the drawings were completed and now the forrestry has objected to the building licence.saying a fire was on the land 10 years ago and a new law in spain says if the fire was deliberate then the land cannot be built on for 30 years.apparently some unscrupolous builders use to burn land and then aquire it cheap at a later date...and early indications says our land was burnt deliberatly.......absolutley gutted.

Mitzyboy

Same in Germany ... our vehicles used to have to queue at the border at midnight on Sunday, waiting until we could enter ..... British haulage industry was decimated by Willy Betz / Eastern European hauliers who would work for next to nothing because they didn't have £3.5k a year road tax to pay and huge insurance bills

That is appalling ... so sorry to hear of yet another unscupulous way of aquiring land ... what do you do now?