UK border police seize £500k from Nigerians' hand luggage The UK's border police were patting themselves on the back today after seizing over half a million quid in cash from the hand luggage of two Nigerian men at Heathrow Airport. Border Agency officers discovered the cash as the men tried to enter the UK through Heathrow last week, after flying in from Paris. The men said the …
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The money belonged to the late Mr John Smith who had no relatives. The Nigerians arranged by e-mail for Mr David Smith to claim to be John's brother. They have sorted out all the paper work and have paid for modalities. Now all that remains is for them to meet up and split the cash 40/40/20. Come on - deals like this take place 100,000 (ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND) times each day.
Because customs law states that you dont have to declare cash your bringing into the country from within the EU. If your coming from outside the EU you have to declare anything over £5000 i think it is. Since they were coming from within the EU they would not have needed to declare it.
True carrying £500k in cash is going to make you very suspicious to any competent border guard, but under customs law they did not need to declare it. So im particularly interested to now know about this law allowing the police to "detain" your money. I suppose it will make me that little bit more cautious about carrying money between the UK and the continent (which i do occasionally in order to avoid the ludicrous exchange fees British banks charge!).
The laws states that you have to notify customs and declare if you're carrying over €10,000 over international borders. I have been stopped a few times travelling back to Luxembourg, and asked how much I'm carry once I mention I work for a bank...
It's supposedly to stop illegal proceeds, including (especially) undeclared, untaxed gains hidden away in "tax effecient" countries like, say, Switzerland (part of Schengen, so no border posts), Austria or Ireland getting smuggled back to be spent in inefficient countries such as UK, Germany, France etc. Once discovered, customs may demand proof that these proceeds are legal, and the IR will go through your accounting with a fine tooth-comb...
Anon, obviously.
A few banks allow varying degrees of amount / transfers free of charge between EU banks at reasonable exchange rates, try ING. In fact my last transfer was free as it was from one euro account to another. Just tick the box to say you're not money laundering and if they call you to ask if you're a terrorist remember to say no.
I've no idea about the legal need for declaring but the bottom line is, if they pull you over and find something then you're caught. I get stopped by UK border control every time I enter or leave the UK and one of the questions I've been asked is "Are you carrying a large amount of money?" If I say no and they find 500,000 euros then I reckon I'd have some more explaining to do. On the other hand, if they told me 1,000 was large I'd have a hard time keeping a straight face. One of my cousins is an HGV driver on UK -Mainland Europe routes and 1,000 is his petty cash allowance for "on-the-spot fines".
European banks are much better for transfers, its only UK banks i have a problem with. This last trip, it was HUGELY cheaper to withdraw a large number of pounds from my deutsche bank account in cash (commision fee and with a minimal exchange rate fee(~1%)), bring that to the UK and deposit in my UK bank account then for me to either send it electronically (min £12 fee plus 3% exchange rate fee - all but £1.50 of which was the UK bank fee) or to bring euros and deposit that in my uk account (min £4 fee plus 3% exchange rate fee). Transfer between euro accounts on the continent is almost always fee free.
This country really needs to brings its banks into line, its a completely unjustified rip-off the fees that the banks charge...
I'd have to say yes and no. I use a specialist currency transfer company (and sometimes paypal!) to transfer money.
Where I work in Spain, you have to pay to transfer money from one Spanish bank to another, and my bank card does not work in the machines of all banks, and the other banks that it does work in charge me 1.75€ for a withdrawl! This is like banking in the UK 20 years ago...
What gets me more is how cheap it is to post something to someone in Spain near the border, but if it is to someone 1 mile the other side of the border... You wouldn't believe it!
>> They can rip your car to component bits to search for something and don't have to put it back together. >>
But, neither do you. Just (as it's ripped to bits) simplyleave it there. That'll inconvenience them for the next pull-apart. They only have a finite amount of space. Insurance should sort it in "Ten Wurkin Daze". Oh, maybe complain to the Police about criminal damage, and it becomes immutable - and immovable evidence...
Same as the police, who can trash your house, then just walk away. (Unless you happen to live in Forest Gate, London, and they'll completely refurbish it when they discover the bottle of Domestos under the kitchen sink is not a bomb.)
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Foreigntravel/BringinggoodsorcashintotheUK/DG_173289
When you need to declare cash
You only need to declare cash if you are entering or leaving the UK from outside the European Union (EU) and carrying cash of 10,000 euros or more, or the equivalent in other currencies.
... it also details that cash can only be kept for 48 hours while the HMRC investigate.
There is no mention of the UK Border Agency, though a quick scan of the UKBA web site doesn't mention 10,000 Euros.
"Since they were coming from within the EU they would not have needed to declare it."
The free movement of capital within the EU is limited by rules which require the reporting of suspicious transactions. This means that banks will report transactions over 15000 euros (or the equivalent in other currencies) and that any cash over this amount must be accompanied by documentation indicating its origin, when crossing borders. Without evidence to support a legal source, such cash can be considered as proceeds of crime and may be seized by the authorities. The owners of the cash are then usually given a time period in which they must provide evidence of the legitimate source of the cash, if it is to be returned. Some member states have set even lower thresholds for reporting of suspicious transactions.
Because Schengen states don't operate border controls, the relevant authorities can make such checks on anyone within a certain distance of their national border.
"I suppose it will make me that little bit more cautious about carrying money between the UK and the continent (which i do occasionally in order to avoid the ludicrous exchange fees British banks charge!)."
The EU/EEA directive 2560/2001 on intra EEA bank transfers states that banks in the EU/EEA (even if not in the € zone) may not charge more to send or receive a transfer in Euro within the EU/EEA than they do for a domestic transfers (which are free in many countries). To benefit from EU regulation 2560/2001, the ordering customer must send the payment in Euros and use BIC & IBAN.
...while I'm as amused as the rest of you guys at some Nigerians *actually having trouble getting a bunch of money out of the country*, it seems absurd that if you have more than $N in cash you have to 'prove that it's yours'. I can't even 'prove' that the ten bucks in my wallet is mine - what the hell business is it of anyone? Why is it OK to go across a border when you've got 500k in a bank account but not when it's cash?
If this is reasonable, why doesn't the government show up at everyone's house and demand proof that all your money is yours? After all, you MIGHT be a terrorist, and you can never be too careful "in these post 9/11 times"...
*rolls eyes*
I'm guessing David is American by the use of $, INAL but I think the appropriate government agencies CAN just roll up to your house and demand you account for where you got your (cash) money (I'm thinking INS here), and if you can't do that proceed to rip you a new one.
They aren't too worried about money in a bank account as it can be traced to source. I think our UK proceeds of crime legislation was a direct copy of the US one to counter drug traffic profits.
(As far as I'm concerned THEY should have to prove the cash is dirty money, and not for the punter to prove it's clean).
Actually i dont see too many problems with the prove the money is not the proceeds of crime thing (except im not a big fan of the guilty unless proven innocent vibe).
If your trying to bring €500k into the country and you can show you own a large business with profits in that range it probably wouldnt be a big problem (although knowing the UK gov, they'd probably find some way to tax you 40% for bringing the cash into the country). If you work at McDonalds and are caught with the €500k i would have a very hard time believing that the money was yours. Same if you worked in a job earning €50k a year i would be quite suspicious if your carrying around 10 times your yearly salary, however if it was Richard Branson was carrying around €500k i would simply consider him a pretentious beardy git, but certainly not suspicious!
And of course you can prove that the £10 in your wallet is yours. You have a job, and payslips, etc. What do you think the tax office are asking you to prove at tax return time?
Oh, I dunno. I reckon that if I were a Customs officer I wouldn't write him off as not suspicious immediately.
You just couldn't let a "rubber glove" opportunity like *that* go begging. It'd be one of the best times to trot out that amusing bottle of Tabasco sauce with the "aqueous lubricant" label stuck on it, while your colleague cues up a Johnny Cash record on the jolly old gramophone.....
From the IATA website: http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/GB-United-Kingdom-customs-currency-airport-tax-regulations-details.htm
"Currency rules
Import and Export: local currency (Pound Sterling-GBP) and foreign currencies: no restrictions if arriving from or traveling to another E.U. country.
If arriving directly from or traveling to a country outside the E.U.: amounts exceeding EUR 10,000.- or more or the equivalent in another currency (incl. banker’s draft and cheques of any kind) must be declared."
Notes from HM Revenue & Customs "Cash Declaration" f orm C9011: "Notes on completing this form
You do not need to complete this form if you are travelling to or arriving from another EU country or are carrying less than 10,000 Euros."
There is a misconception here that "innocent until proven guilty" has hitherto always been the case; or more accurately that the Police could not make an arrest until a crime had clearly been committed.
Well, no. People found in suspicious circumstances have always had to show that they were not criminals: people near rivers with poaching gear; people near warehouses equipped with jemmies etc; and (in Scotland at any rate) people with three convictions for theft carrying *unusual* goods with no explanation as to where they came from.
This does not mean that convicted thieves have to carry receipts for everything on their person; but it does mean that someone found at 3am with a bagful of silver has to explain themselves - and if they have no explanation they will be prosecuted. They are indeed innocent until proven guilty, but the circumstances in which they were found still have to be explained. This is sensible, and not at all unusual in law.
Seems to me that carrying half-million into a country is worthy of investigation, and it is not the end of liberty if the authorities take an interest in suspicious behaviour.
"O, tis a precious apothegmatical* Pedant, who will find matter enough to dilate a whole day of the first invention of Fy, fa, fum, I smell the blood of an English-man"(1), quoted with "A Babylonish dialect which learned pedants much affect"(2), knowing full well that "Pedantry is the dotage of knowledge"(3).
* apothegmatic: noun, a concise saying or maxim; an aphorism
1. Thomas Nashe (1567-1601), "Have with you to Saffron-walden", 1596.
2. Samuel Butler (1612-1680), "Hudibras", 1663.
3. Holbrook Jackson (1874-1948), "Anatomy of Bibliomania", 1930.
Dear Reg: please inquire of the appropriate police personnel how they recommend one proves half a million in carry-on luggage was legitimately-gotten when traveling. Don't forget to include in your followup article some special cases, e.g. whether being an MP automatically proves it was criminally obtained, and how best to document the money simply being carrying-around cash for a famous heiress.
I can think of better places to buy cheaper goods than the UK, if that's why you'd come here, and we don't really have anything else worth coming here for. Heck, you could even be arrested just for taking pictures of the, generally rather dull, famous buildings we do have.
My advice: spend your money in a country that's less of a shithole -- there are many to choose from throughout Europe (and probably other continents too).
One of the legs of democracy is dissent and the freedom to express it.
When you look at today's Britain you wonder where all the qualities that made it so great have gone to. Locking up people for not revealing passwords is both unique and pathetic. Police are supposed to be subservient to the government, not running it.
Unless you remove the rose tinted glasses, and get some travel time in you'll see how bad things are.
My wife is from Zimbabwe, a country that's fallen so far apart that the only currency is the US$. No ATMs, no cards, no credit etc - well at least not when there's no electricity which is >95% of the time. A two week vist there requires taking US$ 3000-4000+ ($10000 might be a better figure for a month) for car hire (including deposit), food, petrol and medical care for her family. Recently Zimbabwe customs (probably some of the most crooked on the planet) have started stealing vistors money claiming it must be from crime. This is of course a problem if you need food, water, transport etc. Sounds familiar.
So, the story of Nigerians bringing cash to the UK doesn't sound implausible. Africa is a cash based continent and >99% of the population (even those with successful and legitimate businesses) don't have bank accounts. Maybe that's why those 411 scams sound credible to the people that create them?
One thing's for certain, the more western governments carry on like tin pot dictatorships (ask yourself if you were in Zimbabwe, how you would prove the £100 in your pocket - a months wages - was earned legitimately, the same is true for an african businessman in the UK), the more opportunities ciminals will have with plasable reasons to handle other people's money.
Most people know there is a USD$10,000 cash limit across borders, courtesy of yet another US 'diplomatic' effort. These guys are dumb - there are literally hundreds of ways to move money but I guess they were too cheap.
I travel, I use well over USD$10,000 per segment of my itinerary but I don't get hassled. Mind you, I am white and not from Nigeria - two factors that most likely caused these guys t be 'subjects of interest'.
They should have asked their country drug dealers to help them, for a commission, as most major drug importation involves international payment settlements!
I travel around the Golden Triangle countries as a customer support/commissioning technician and it is not uncommon for me to obtain construction assistance from local companies costing thousands of dollars - all paid in cash.
The Western governments hate cash as they lose control of things whereas with plastic a little 'chat' to a card issuers security department will quickly locate a missing body. What they do is to reduce the pre-approved limits for the card holder of interest and show a code on the terminal that requires a merchant to call the issuer. This way they can relay messages, have the Plod called, etc.
I also use ethnic cash transfer systems which work faster and more confidentially than Western Union which requires two ID's! The Arab, Philippine, Indian, Vietnamese and Chinese communities all have systems and are immune to US government oversight! (And cheaper than bank transfers)
The proceeds of crime act is very guilty until proven innocent, when a friend of mine had her house searched by the fuzz they seized £600 that she had been saving up for her holiday spending money because apparently any cash amount of over £500 found during a police raid is seized under proceeds of crime until you can prove where the money came from.
Thankfully she could provide her pay slips to show that it was her money but she didnt actually get it back for months when they eventso had to borrow money to go on her holidays
Reminds me of an incident early in my career - late 70's or early 80's - when a colleague had to explain to French customs why he was carrying a suitcase full of fake banknotes into Orly Airport.
We were working for a company making banknote sorting machines (DeLaRue), and the machines were marketed on their ability to detect fakes.
The Bank of England keeps stocks of banknotes in most of the world's currencies, both genuine and forged, for reference purposes, and the company had an arrangement with them to borrow these for calibration purposes.
We had just sold a machine to a French bank and the engineer was flying over to commission it. As per our usual arrangements, he called in to the BoE to collect the mixture of real and fake banknotes kept for this purpose. He then phoned his contact in Paris to arrange a lift from the airport.
Unfortunately, the call was overheard and reported to the French police. As a result, he was arrested as soon as he landed. The customs officer asked him what was in the suitcase and he replies, quite truthfully "Forged banknotes".
He spent a couple of days in the cells before it was all sorted out and they managed to convince the police that, in this case, it was actually quite legal to be carrying forged money around!
.. Why on earth didn't they just say that they were investment bankers who had driven their countries economy into the ground and the cash was their months bonus. They'd have had our fine politicians queuing up to get them off the hook and all charges and suspicions would have been dropped.
The better course of action would have been to allow these gentelmen to keep their money, and arranged for plod to follow them discreetly, until they attempted to spend it, the odds being that they would then incriminate others in the commission of larger, more serious crimes.
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