More Cigarette smugglers using RAF AT
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Ooops.
Happened before and doubtless will happen again.
I'm sure a lot of ppruners have some additional tax free goods in AT over the years, although admittedly not on quite an industrial scale.
Didn't a similar thing happen at LYE a while ago?
Happened before and doubtless will happen again.
I'm sure a lot of ppruners have some additional tax free goods in AT over the years, although admittedly not on quite an industrial scale.
Didn't a similar thing happen at LYE a while ago?
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Yup packed in ground equipment I believe.
Many moons ago 'down west' a Tax Inspector was doing regular ciggy runs to France, and some of his customers were (you guessed) other tax employee's.
Always nice to remind them about it when being questioned about a late return or something similar.
Always nice to remind them about it when being questioned about a late return or something similar.
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I recall in the 60s a Canberra from Cyprus to Strubby being ‘pinged’ for substantial importation of Kokkinelli and tobacco. I don’t recall the outcome. I suspect it has been going on for nearly a century! 
Ah but then there was the 'trap' for the pain in the ass customs man!!!
It was 'dropped in' that lots of goodies were coming into the UK in a returning Shack from Gibraltar, possibly concealed in the elsans. I need not dwell further on a couple of 'excise men' going through the contents of said elsans, finding nothing and being told to clear up the public health mess they'd left on the grass!!!!!!!!!!!!
O-D
It was 'dropped in' that lots of goodies were coming into the UK in a returning Shack from Gibraltar, possibly concealed in the elsans. I need not dwell further on a couple of 'excise men' going through the contents of said elsans, finding nothing and being told to clear up the public health mess they'd left on the grass!!!!!!!!!!!!
O-D
JACKANORY TIME - More Fake News?
Back in the day, the worlds premier recce and oldest fixed wing Squadron were on exchange to a NATO base up Norf from their home base. There were Two hercs in support, No1 had the ground equipment and some groundcrew. No2 had the duty free and a few more groundcrew.
On arrival at the noggy field, the Hercs were unloaded into an empty hangar. The base commander came to the hangar to welcome the Squadron. The ground equipment was parked outside but the duty free....nearly a Hercules full... was stacked in the middle of the hangar.
The base commander addressed the troops troops and said:
"Tommorow morning at 10:30 the customs officials from Oslo will conduct a surprise inspection of this hangar looking for illegal imports of duty free alcohol and tobacco - I expect they will find only a single box of whiskey in the centre of the hangar and will not check any of the offices around the edge. The whiskey will be confiscated. Welcome to RNoAF Ry**e, gentlemen"
Of course, this is just a story......fake news, fake news.
Back in the day, the worlds premier recce and oldest fixed wing Squadron were on exchange to a NATO base up Norf from their home base. There were Two hercs in support, No1 had the ground equipment and some groundcrew. No2 had the duty free and a few more groundcrew.
On arrival at the noggy field, the Hercs were unloaded into an empty hangar. The base commander came to the hangar to welcome the Squadron. The ground equipment was parked outside but the duty free....nearly a Hercules full... was stacked in the middle of the hangar.
The base commander addressed the troops troops and said:
"Tommorow morning at 10:30 the customs officials from Oslo will conduct a surprise inspection of this hangar looking for illegal imports of duty free alcohol and tobacco - I expect they will find only a single box of whiskey in the centre of the hangar and will not check any of the offices around the edge. The whiskey will be confiscated. Welcome to RNoAF Ry**e, gentlemen"
Of course, this is just a story......fake news, fake news.
Don't ask what happened on VC10s
Don't ask what happened on VC10s
'blank cheque and honesty box' system at Brize
I used the 'blank cheque and honesty box' system once at Brize. It was Christmas holiday time and the cheque was never cashed - so I guess they gave me a little present!
A few people might have been a little inaccurate with the value of their personal purchases, but I don't recall hearing of anyone being stupid enough to try smuggling. At least, not on 101 Sqn. But once I asked an Oxford CAA examiner if he could do my civil FI revalidation test after he'd finished for the day - to which he agreed. He turned up in his dark blue NATO pullover with 4 gold bars and came over to the Flying Club. Which at the time was right next to the Air Cargo hangar. This caused mayhem amongst the Movers, so I asked their genial Flt Sgt what was the problem. "They think that the senior customs officer from Heathrow has just turned up to direct his staff to do a rummage of the hangar". "Shall I ask him to take off his captain's rank slides?", I asked. "Please don't do that sir, my lot are panicking and giving the hangar a good tidying up - I've been waiting for them to do that for months!".
But some fork lifts were seen carrying clinking cardboard boxes off to various other storage areas.....
Some people are mind-blowingly stupid though. I was sitting on the patio at Akrotiri OM once and couldn't avoid hearing a loud mouthed Hercules navigator bragging about the profits he'd made selling 2 x 1.75 litre jugs of Vodka every time he came back from some exercise trips. Bought in a BX for low price and sold to the locals back in the UK....
Sorry - as was often said "It ain't worth my pension!".
Another criminal trick I heard about was something which went on at Dulles. After crew-in, some mover would open the cargo door and close it again "It wasn't properly shut". When the aircraft landed at Brize, the conspirator would be first to open the cargo door to retrieve whatever his crony had hidden at Dulles....
Always be suspicious if a door light comes on briefly and goes out again after the steps have been taken away, was my advice... Phonepatch ahead and get the RAFP to meet the jet, if necessary.
A few people might have been a little inaccurate with the value of their personal purchases, but I don't recall hearing of anyone being stupid enough to try smuggling. At least, not on 101 Sqn. But once I asked an Oxford CAA examiner if he could do my civil FI revalidation test after he'd finished for the day - to which he agreed. He turned up in his dark blue NATO pullover with 4 gold bars and came over to the Flying Club. Which at the time was right next to the Air Cargo hangar. This caused mayhem amongst the Movers, so I asked their genial Flt Sgt what was the problem. "They think that the senior customs officer from Heathrow has just turned up to direct his staff to do a rummage of the hangar". "Shall I ask him to take off his captain's rank slides?", I asked. "Please don't do that sir, my lot are panicking and giving the hangar a good tidying up - I've been waiting for them to do that for months!".
But some fork lifts were seen carrying clinking cardboard boxes off to various other storage areas.....
Some people are mind-blowingly stupid though. I was sitting on the patio at Akrotiri OM once and couldn't avoid hearing a loud mouthed Hercules navigator bragging about the profits he'd made selling 2 x 1.75 litre jugs of Vodka every time he came back from some exercise trips. Bought in a BX for low price and sold to the locals back in the UK....
Sorry - as was often said "It ain't worth my pension!".
Another criminal trick I heard about was something which went on at Dulles. After crew-in, some mover would open the cargo door and close it again "It wasn't properly shut". When the aircraft landed at Brize, the conspirator would be first to open the cargo door to retrieve whatever his crony had hidden at Dulles....
Always be suspicious if a door light comes on briefly and goes out again after the steps have been taken away, was my advice... Phonepatch ahead and get the RAFP to meet the jet, if necessary.
Mind you, talking of customs at Brize, it was the custom (excuse the pun) that on most AT arrivals the crew were cleared customs onboard. The crew filled in the customs chit before landing, stating what they had or had not to declare, then the Captain countersigned. Before anyone was allowed off the aircraft the customs officer had to look at the form and clear the crew. Sometimes they would ask to see what the individual had imported. On one such occasion, the naughty co-pilot added an item to the declaration made by a brand new and rather naive young female steward. He wrote 'Sexual aid' and slipped into her handbag a suitable object. The customs official cleared the whole crew, but asked the young lady to see the said object. She went bright red and even brighter when opening her hardback to reveal what had be cruelly placed there. No, I was not that CO, just the Captain
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Ahh Brize Customs..... Used to board before us, open briefcase, put in lunch from galley, pick up honesty chits and depart, never ever saw the movers open the freight doors before us, as we never let anyone near until we had put the pins in. I do remember the new young mover being told to put the engine blanks in the fwd freight hold, asking where it was he was told walk down the right hand side until you find an opening and pop them in there, he did, sadly the door was shut so the first opening he found was above the main gear doors and the blanks were duly slung in to sail serenely back to earth when the gear was retracted.
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On the theme of "once upon a time ".....in Germany. Think of this as being more a free lance entrepreneur operation rather than industrial scale.
The American BX at Bruggen kindly provided crates of King Edwards cigars. Responding to customer demand at Gut, 431 MU's "scruffy junior airmen " as one contributor is inclined to disparagingly describe us, would duly acquire a crate for both individuals and, shock!, horror ! both the Sgts and OM alike and some of you may well have been the beneficiaries here.....the profit...I know, but that's capitalism for you, being DM100.....transport costs being alleviated thanks to said crates being conveyed in / on 431's MT section......happy customers, happy airmen...nobody batted an eyelid at this well established supply chain, until, that is, a Canberra crew pitched up one day.
Said Canberra Sqn were fairly regular customers and enjoyed a harmonious relationship with their suppliers. but, alas, all this nearly changed
. One newly arrived Sgt on the MU was "somewhat pious "..... and beyond help.....anybody who presses creases in his immaculate denims, and on an MU to boot, tends to stand out as they say....he followed us to the Line hut at Gut, and then duly proclaimed he was taking disciplinary action for the "misappropriation of RAF property "..to wit, our use of MT.....at which point, the Canberra Capt on the day enquired "Who's this (rude words ) ! ? " ....followed by a C/T rapidly emerging and kindly guiding our leader away before, ahem, "offering him some words of advice "....which may have carried beyond the confines of the room he had been guided to.....more happy customers, along with sympathy from said Capt as to us being lumbered with that ( more rude words )
Business returned to normal thereafter....
The American BX at Bruggen kindly provided crates of King Edwards cigars. Responding to customer demand at Gut, 431 MU's "scruffy junior airmen " as one contributor is inclined to disparagingly describe us, would duly acquire a crate for both individuals and, shock!, horror ! both the Sgts and OM alike and some of you may well have been the beneficiaries here.....the profit...I know, but that's capitalism for you, being DM100.....transport costs being alleviated thanks to said crates being conveyed in / on 431's MT section......happy customers, happy airmen...nobody batted an eyelid at this well established supply chain, until, that is, a Canberra crew pitched up one day.
Said Canberra Sqn were fairly regular customers and enjoyed a harmonious relationship with their suppliers. but, alas, all this nearly changed
. One newly arrived Sgt on the MU was "somewhat pious "..... and beyond help.....anybody who presses creases in his immaculate denims, and on an MU to boot, tends to stand out as they say....he followed us to the Line hut at Gut, and then duly proclaimed he was taking disciplinary action for the "misappropriation of RAF property "..to wit, our use of MT.....at which point, the Canberra Capt on the day enquired "Who's this (rude words ) ! ? " ....followed by a C/T rapidly emerging and kindly guiding our leader away before, ahem, "offering him some words of advice "....which may have carried beyond the confines of the room he had been guided to.....more happy customers, along with sympathy from said Capt as to us being lumbered with that ( more rude words )
Business returned to normal thereafter....
Last edited by Krystal n chips; 5th May 2019 at 08:40.