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Haulier on edge after seizure
Page 8
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• A Northern Irish haulier claims that he has almost been forced out of business by the Customs' policy of truck seizures.
Martin Lynch of Strabanebased MGL Transport says that one of his trucks, a new Daf 95XF, was stopped and searched at Dover in July last year. Customs officers found 2.5 million cigarettes hidden among the load of shrinkwrapped carpet tiles.
The load, from Germany, was offered to Lynch by a haulier who has now vanished. Lynch says he only took the hoed to help his driver get back in time for his sister's wedding.
He points out that Customs did not press charges against him or the driver and claims that Customs officers repeatedly told him and the driver that the truck would be returned without a fee.
Lynch was subsequently shocked to receive a demand for 153,700 (since reduced to £47,000 ) as a "restoration fee'. Customs told him that his driver should have broken down some of the pallets in order to check the load. A Customs spokesman adds that as the load was mislabelled as foodstuffs on the manifest, he is surprised that no further checks were carried out.
Lynch, who only runs three trucks, says: "It looks very Like I'm going to go out of business because of this.
"It's ridiculous that Customs want drivers to break down pallets. If you turn up at a warehouse and tell them that they just tell you go away and get someone else to take the load."
The firm can appeal to the VAT and Duties Tribunal.