Any time you enter Canada by sea, land or air, you come into contact with representatives of Canada Border Services Agency and must comply with the federal Customs Act. Your first compliance test is usually your completion of a “Declaration Card”, where you indicate what you are bringing into the country with you and whether you have exceeded the personal exemptions with regard to the value of goods you can bring into Canada duty-free.
Failure to comply with the Customs Act by providing false information in your Declaration Card or making false or misleading statements to customs officers (CBSA officers) can lead to serious charges under the Customs Act and a record of conviction with respect to a federal offense.
More Information On Customs Act Offences
Commonly charged offenses under the Customs Act include:
- making false or deceptive statements to a CBSA officer contrary to Section 153(a) of the Customs Act;
- wilfully, in any manner, evade or attempt to evade compliance with any provision of the Customs Act or evade or attempt to evade the payment of duties; and
- smuggles or attempts to smuggle into Canada, whether clandestinely or not, any goods subject to duties, or any goods the importation of which is prohibited, controlled or regulated by or pursuant to the Customs Act or any other act of Parliament
Let N.J. Preovolos Law Corporation Assist You
At N.J. Preovolos Law Corporation, we have experience defending clients charged with illegally importing everything from gold jewelry worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to a Bentley. If you have been charged with a Customs Act offense recently or believe you are under investigation for a Customs Act offense, our experienced Vancouver criminal defense lawyers would be pleased to assist you.