Halifax residents fined for border infraction

July 6, 2018           Halifax, Nova Scotia             Canada Border Services Agency

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced that two Nova Scotia residents were sentenced today in Dartmouth Provincial Court to two counts of making false statements and non-report of goods under the Customs Act.

Carl Launt and his spouse Michelle Ferguson, of Halifax, Nova Scotia pleaded guilty on May 7, 2018 and were sentenced today by the court to fines totalling $43,780 for the Custom Act charges. In addition to the court fine, they must pay a civil penalty of $13,684.65 for the return of their watches. A second civil penalty of $44,435.20 was also imposed by the CBSA for additional undeclared luxury items.

On September 16, 2016, CBSA officers in Quebec examined a courier package sent from the Bahamas. The shipment included two empty luxury watch boxes, certificates of authenticity, and receipts dated September 11, 2016 totaling $45,615.50. CBSA investigators in Halifax, N.S. then began an investigation. As part of the investigation, a search warrant was executed at the individuals' residence, which revealed that they had imported additional undeclared luxury items totaling $148,117.32 over 15 trips from 2013 to 2017.

The CBSA reminds all travellers to declare all purchases and items received when returning to Canada. This includes goods you are travelling with and that you mail to Canada. Failure to report all goods, smuggling, undervaluation and other breaches of the Customs Act may lead to criminal prosecution in a court of law.