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Customs demands a triple payment
Page 6
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by Dominic Perry
A Powys-based haulier who had his tractor confiscated by Customs and Excise has been ordered to pay nearly three times its value to get it back.
Sheldon Bright, who runs 5Js International, says it would be cheaper to wait until his truck is auctioned off and attempt to buy it back.
On 26 May a semi-trailer Bright was providing traction for was searched at Ramsgate. Customs officials found more than two tonnes of tobacco hidden on five pallets of washing powder. Customs automatically seized the tractor and trailer and arrested Bright, who was later released without charge. He says he had checked the load and found everything to be in order.
Despite this Customs held onto the F-reg Volvo F12 and wants £14,825 for its return. Its book value is between L4,000-5,000.
Bright reports that he even offered to help Customs by taking the trailer on to its final destination in the North-West so they could catch the smugglers. He claims that his offer
was turned down as they ''could not afford the additional overtime costs.
"I did everything I could to help them and now all they want to do is screw me," he adds. "I've asked for the cost to be reviewed but that doesn't help me get the truck back, and in the meantime there's just more weeks of lost earnings."
A Customs spokesman says the fee is based on the amount of duty evaded on the contraband, alleging that Bright had failed to check the trailer's manifest correctly.