A Pair of Smugglers Caught in the Act

 “Do you have any fruits or vegetables aboard?” The young woman was wearing the uniform of a Canadian customs officer. 

Oh oh. That was a question I hadn’t anticipated. It was also a question Barbara and I didn’t want to answer.

We were headed north. When we crossed the Border the previous September going south, a U.S. customs officer had unexpectedly asked me about citrus fruits.

I declared all we had, a single grapefruit. He stamped our entry permit, handed it to me, and said, “Eat the grapefruit or throw it in the garbage. Don’t leave the dock with it still aboard. Have a nice stay.”

The American customs officer’s question about citrus fruits was unexpected. The Canadian customs officer’s question about fruits and vegetables was downright ominous. I did not know that Canada considered undocumented fruits and vegetables, as a general category, a controlled substance.

Winter over, we were heading north

Having wintered at Eagle Harbor, Washington, we were now reentering Canada with plans to spend the summer cruising among the wild islands and fiords north of Vancouver Island. Barbara had a month’s supply of fruits and vegetablesh tucked away in Maruba’s galley.

At that moment, the Canadian customs officer was not speaking directly to me. Rather, she was processing the paperwork of two young men in line ahead of me, U.S. passports in hand. They had tied their boat to the customs dock in Sidney, British Columbia, just ahead of us.

They told us this was their first day of a month long cruise north of the border. They were bubbling with anticipation and excitement.

“Oh yes, we have lots of fresh produce,” one of them told the customs officer.

“We stocked up in Seattle,” the other agreed.

The customs officer, sighing quietly, readied a sheet of paper and took a grip on her pen. “Tell me exactly what you have on your boat.”

 The two young men were conscientious and thorough. They reported a long list of items, frequently checking with each other to confirm quantities and making sure they did not forget anything.

“Is that everything?,” she asked.

The sad fate of the fruit and veggies

“Yes, we think we’ve remembered it all.”

“Go back to your boat and gather all the items on this list. Bring them to the office and put them in that trash container by the door.”

“But ...”

“I said, bring it all here and throw it in the garbage.”

“But ...”

“Let me make myself clear. You will dispose of the stuff as directed. Otherwise the other customs officer and I will search your vessel thoroughly. We will seize these items, along with any other contraband we may find.”

It occurred to me that the young men may have had a stash of another plant product­­ on their boat–also prohibited. Likely her threat caused them to think about where they had hidden it. The customs officer, having considered the demographics of the boat's crew, knew the odds were on her side.

Silenced, they turned away from the counter and left.

My turn to answer the question

“Next?,” the customs officer said.

While eavesdropping behind the two Americans, I’d learned that fruits and vegetables were not allowed into Canada­­­­­­­­­­–except when imported commercially and in accordance with customs and department of agriculture regulations.

I’d learned something else as well.

The customs officer behind the counter was not an officious bureaucrat who liked to bully. She was a nice young woman who did not want to insist two nice young men throw away a couple hundred dollars worth of good food.

Her job required the enforcement of regulations which made no sense when cruisers tied up at custom docks. Those regulations were meant to block the import into Canada of plant pathogens and harmful insects that might get dispersed. 

Cruisers brought aboard food for the own consumption. It stayed on the boat until eaten.

Unfortunately, the two young men had made their declaration. The regulations gave her no choice but to confiscate the contraband produce. Their attempted protests only made her task more unpleasant. She could cite the regulations, but not justify them.

“I said, Next?” she repeated.

Stepping to the counter, I filled out the required form and readied myself for the question. 

She looked me directly in the eye, warned me with a frown, and said, “You do not have any fruits and vegetables aboard, do you?”

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