Items or substances that are not only not prohibited in our latitudes, but are freely available for purchase and use, in some other countries could at best be confiscated, but in the worst case – their importation may be threatened with a fine, arrest, expulsion from the country and even prison, the channel reports. “National Geographic”.
Ignorance of the law does not exempt from punishment, so before going to another country, especially in the regions of Asia, the Middle East, Africa or South America, you should research what is allowed and what is prohibited in them. Otherwise, the trip may end already at the local airport, where the contents of the luggage are checked.
At the suggestion of the World Customs Organization in 1983, January 26 is celebrated worldwide as International Customs Day. This day honors all customs officials and agencies that work every day to protect national borders and prevent the illegal importation of goods and other things.
Behind the scenes of the busy work of the security guards can be seen in the program “Catch the smuggler”. The fourth season of this program can be seen on Thursdays at 22.00 on “National Geographic” channel! On International Customs Day, “National Geographic” offers to find out what prohibitions are in force in certain countries of the world and what actually happens to those tourists who have violated them!
Supplying pain pills ends in jail time
On October 9, 2017, a then 33-year-old woman was arrested at Hurghada International Airport British citizen Laura Plummer. Customs officers, when checking her suitcase, discovered that the woman had taken 290 tablets of the painkiller tramadol with her.
She explained to the security guards that the tramadol tablets were intended for her husband, Omar Abdel-Azim, who was suffering from back pain. It should be noted that although tramadol is a legal prescription pain reliever in many countries, it is prohibited for private individuals to sell it in Egypt.
Laura claimed she did not know the drug was banned in Egypt, so she did not try to hide it, and was surprised when she was arrested.
However, Plummer was charged with drug possession and attempted smuggling. Under Egypt’s harsh laws, she faced up to 25 years in prison or even the death penalty.
This case caused a wide resonance around the world, but it did not save Plummer from prison. The court sentenced her to three years in prison, in the notorious Kenna prison. “Islamic State” and “Muslim Brotherhood” fighters are also serving their sentence there.
Fortunately, Plamer spent only a third of her sentence behind bars – one year and one month. She was released along with nearly seven thousand other prisoners who were released early by Egypt’s president to mark the anniversary of the country’s 2011 revolution.
It should be noted that Egypt is not the only country where it is forbidden to bring tramadol in a bag. It should not be taken with you when traveling to, for example, Greece and the United Arab Emirates.
As for other substances that are prohibited to be carried in luggage, we can mention, for example, medicines containing pseudoephedrine. They are prohibited from being imported into Japan. This substance belongs to vasoconstrictors that make breathing easier. Pseudoephedrine is found in many anti-fever and anti-flu medications, such as Theraflu, Nurofen, and others. It should be noted that, if necessary, medicines containing this substance can be purchased locally.
Singapore even requires a special permit to bring in sleeping pills, anti-anxiety drugs, and strong painkillers. In another Asian country, Indonesia, it is also prohibited to import sleeping pills and codeine-containing medicines.
In Costa Rica, it is allowed to bring only the amount of medication that is needed during your stay there and only with a doctor’s certificate confirming this. Also, when traveling to China, you must have a doctor’s certificate, which lists and substantiates the amount of medicine to take with you.
Satellite phones by special permission only
Foreigners have been banned from bringing satellite phones and messaging devices into India for many years. After it was determined that the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai was carried out with the help of satellite phones, stricter rules were introduced for these devices.
This is because satellite phones bypass India’s mobile phone system and are difficult for the government to monitor or track. However, tourists can use them if they have received special permission from the local Ministry of Telecommunications.
The top manager of the world’s largest oil company, Saudi Aramco, did not have such permission In 2022, he was briefly arrested about using this type of phone. 62-year-old Oxford University graduate Fergus McLeod, who is responsible for relations with investors at the company, explained that he bought a satellite phone in 2017 due to the specifics of his work, as he often stays in regions with poor telephone connections. McLeod was released on bail and later appeared in court where he was fined.
Satellite phones are also banned or strictly regulated in China, Cuba, Bangladesh, Nigeria, North Korea, Sudan, Pakistan, Russia and elsewhere.
No camouflage style clothing and night vision binoculars
Popular Caribbean tourist destinations such as Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica and St. Lucia have strict laws against civilians wearing clothing similar to military uniforms. Clothing of this style may not be brought in luggage. It is also forbidden to wear camouflage backpacks or handbags.
Such a ban exists in countries that have experienced internal conflicts with rebel groups or terrorists and do not want civilians and tourists to be mistaken for armed combatants.
Travelers going on safari to African countries such as Zimbabwe or Zambia should be aware that military-grade equipment should also be avoided in these countries, as well as in Egypt and Cuba. For example, binoculars, especially if they have a night vision function. Such items should only be in the hands of military personnel.
Using electronic cigarettes can land you behind bars
Those who want to go on a trip to Thailand should take into account that electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, have been banned in this country since 2014. Any resident or tourist who violates this law may be arrested. The offender may be fined several times the value of the illegal item or even imprisoned for up to ten years.
Although the law banning e-cigarettes has been in effect for almost a decade, foreign news headlines occasionally report another tourist disaster.
One such case recorded in 2019 on the island of Phuket. A woman from France was stopped by local police while riding a scooter while holding an e-cigarette as a passenger.
She hired a lawyer, appeared in court, was fined 40,000 baht (about €1,200) and ordered to leave the country. In total, the trip with the e-cigarette cost her 286,000 baht (8,000 euros), including the costs of the lawyer and the court case.
That same year, a court in Pattaya fined 30,000 baht (€850) to a sound director who worked for a Dutch dsinger Gerard Joling in concert in this city. The police noticed him on the street, using an e-cigarette. Joling tried to intervene to defend his employee and was briefly detained for that reason.
Hiding drugs in fish or avocados is not a good idea
These and many other stories are about people who broke the law because of their ignorance. However, every day the customs officers confronted those who deliberately try to import prohibited substances and things.
On the National Geographic Channel, Catch the Smuggler offers viewers a unique opportunity to see behind-the-scenes work by US Customs and Border Protection and Immigration at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, as well as international airports in Miami, Atlanta, San Diego and other cities in the United States (US). at airports.
Smugglers often use fish for the illegal transportation of prohibited substances, because their aroma, at least in their opinion, can hide the smell of drugs from service dogs. However, it cannot be relied upon. For example, in 2016, Miami International Airport security officers detained another a cargo of cocaine-filled fish. This time, 20 kilograms of narcotics were hidden in large, frozen fish.
According to estimates, the approximate value of such cargo on the black market could be more than 450,000 US dollars. Security service officers have also arrested two smugglers who tried to bring cocaine-filled fish into the United States.
Another 142 kilograms of cocaine worth $7 million were found hidden among the avocado fruit. However, Miami International Airport security officers once again managed to disrupt an international smuggling operation.
Security guards have to face drug cartels not only at airports. For example, San Diego customs officials have discovered an ambitious tunnelwhich was dug under the US-Mexico border line.
The diameter of the tunnel was 1.2 meters, and the depth was around 6 meters. Also found in the tunnel were 799 kilograms of cocaine, 75 kilograms of methamphetamine and 1.6 kilograms of heroin, intended for sale on the black market. In total, six smugglers were arrested and charged with drug trafficking.
The “National Geographic” channel welcomes the International Customs Day and invites you to follow how the American security guards manage to catch the carriers of illegal drugs and other prohibited cargo in the program “Catch the Smuggler”! It can be seen on the National Geographic channel on Thursdays at 22.00!
“National Geographic” (NG) is available to 440 million households in 171 countries of the world in 45 languages. NG together with “Nat Geo WILD”, “Nat Geo People” and “Nat porsGeo MUNDO” form the channel group “The National Geographic” – they are part of “National Geographic Partners”, a joint venture between “21st Century Fox” and ” National Geographic Society”. NG has more than 55 million social media fans on Facebook alone. In Latvia, NG with subtitles in Latvian and Russian is available “Tet”, “Baltcom”, “Elektrons S”, “Livas KTV”, “Namsamnieks”, “Balticom”, “MITS”, “LAT”, “Dautkom”, “Ostkom “, “Elektrons”, “Telenet”, “Elektrons & K”, “Eikatik”, “Smart-TV” and “V20” television subscribers.
Links to sources:
1) Supplying pain pills ends in jail time
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/28/laura-plummer-freed-from-egyptian-prison
2) Satellite phones only with special permission
3) The use of electronic cigarettes can lead to imprisonment
–https://www.thephuketnews.com/frenchwoman-deported-for-vaping-70535.php
4) Hiding drugs in fish or avocados is not a good idea
–https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/frozen-fish-filled-cocaine-worth-7936171
5) Tunnel under the US-Mexico border
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61477775
Tija Ezeriņa, “Public ID”
