$20,000 fine and penalty for woman and her watch
A woman who failed to declare more than $30,000 worth of jewelry and a watch, has been fined $5,319.59 in Richmond provincial court.
Jing Wang returned from a trip to Hong Kong last April, and declared she had just $350 worth of items.
After being referred for a secondary examination, border services officers found undeclared items, including a Chopard watch. According to Canada Border Service Agency spokesperson Faith St. John, Wang said she didn’t declare the watch because she “though it was too expensive.”
Aside from the court fine, Wang will have to pay Canada Border Service Agency some $15,000 for the watch’s return. Wang appeared in Richmond provincial court last week, and pled guilty to possessing imported goods.
All goods acquired out of the country must be declared upon one’s return home, St. John said. If you don’t declare them, or if they are falsely declared, the items can be seized.
Smuggling, undervaluation and other customs act infractions, can lead to prosecution.
A record of infractions is kept on the Canada Border Services database and result in more detailed examinations on future trips.
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