Crossing the US/CAN Border (Legally) - Any good stories?

[Loiosh]

I remember hearing about people getting in trouble over kinder surprise eggs. Apparently, they're illegal in the US. :S

That makes sense. Putting small pieces of plastic inside a chocolate egg doesn't seem wise.

 

[Serana]

That makes sense. Putting small pieces of plastic inside a chocolate egg doesn't seem wise.

They're in a plastic case inside the chocolate.

 

[jefferz]

I cross at least once a month. Before 9/11 the agents on both sides wouldn't even come out and talk to me, they'd just wave from inside the building.
I used to go up there on the weekends before I was 21 and one time I forgot a bottle of vodka in the hatch. There was a new lady on the Canadian side and she searched my car. When she found the vodka she went ape shit and was threatening to write me up for everything under the sun. Luckily the normal guy came out and set her straight. They ended up confiscating the booze and I was on my way.
I used to sneak booze back across the border and got caught more than once but they never confiscated it.

 

[Loiosh]

They're in a plastic case inside the chocolate.

Yep, I'm a German Canadian, I am aware.



Surely nothing could go wrong here.

 

[TeTe]

No offense, but I love the idea of turning away drivers with a history of DUI.

Yeah, I get that.. And I realized at the time that my stupidity would follow me for a while. But the way they rummaged through my car is what really pissed me off.

 

[Loiosh]

Yeah, I get that.. And I realized at the time that my stupidity would follow me for a while. But the way they rummaged through my car is what really pissed me off.

Yep, they suck.

I imported fresh cut flowers from Columbia.

My goods have been subjected to searches you would not believe.

 

[Serana]

Yep, I'm a German Canadian, I am aware.



Surely nothing could go wrong here.

Haven't only 3 children worldwide choked on them?

 

[Loiosh]

Haven't only 3 children worldwide choked on them?

You're probably right.

Personally, I've eaten hundreds of them.

 

[RedRocket44]

I've never actually tried to enter the US since I had a DUI like ten years ago and I'm not exactly sure how that would work

Have you got it pardoned? You can apply for one after 5 years and basically the record of it is thrown away. If it's pardoned you should have no issue traveling anywhere, but it's like over $1000 to apply for one.

Even if you haven't, 10 years ago is a long time ago, the officer would have to be a real dick to turn you around for something 10 years ago on your record.

 

[ICHEERTHEBULL]

Haven't only 3 children worldwide choked on them?

Yep

"Three children worldwide have died from choking on parts of the Kinder toy surprises after they had eaten the chocolate egg; another was attributed to another manufacturer’s product"

Also why are people smuggling booze? Is their a big price difference. To the people with DUIs all you need to do is apply in advance of crossing the boarder , cost a few shillings though

 

[Serana]

Yep

"Three children worldwide have died from choking on parts of the Kinder toy surprises after they had eaten the chocolate egg; another was attributed to another manufacturer’s product"

Also why are people smuggling booze? Is their a big price difference. To the people with DUIs all you need to do is apply in advance of crossing the boarder , cost a few shillings though

Booze is very expensive in Canada.

 

[RedRocket44]

Got detained for several hours because a dumb girl we were with had a joint on her. She was fat so it made us mad at her more. I was searched.......analy

When me and my friends go to the US we get high in the car on our way to the border. We bring a bunch of joints or weed + pipe and pull off like 2 exits before the border in Windsor, and we have a place where we stash our stuff. Go shopping for a few hours, come back, pick up our goods and we're on our way.

I went to Jamaica a few years ago, and our flight home was delayed from like 8pm until 2-3am because the plane didn't have all the first aid supplies it was supposed to have (oxygen tanks I think they were missing?), and for some reason it took 6+ hours to get first aid supplies to the plane at the airport in Jamaica before we could go back to Canada. Anyway, I was exhausted on the flight home, and at like 5-6am had to fill out one of those Declaration Forms before landing back in Canada. I ticked a wrong box and scratched it out, but I knew I'd probably get searched with the form filled out wrong, and didn't want the delay. I asked for a new card to fill out but the flight attendant told me to use the one I had. Sure enough my card got marked by the agents in Canada and my entire luggage got searched and I got patted down because I made a mistake on the card at 5am.

 

[RedRocket44]

Booze is very expensive in Canada.

It sure is. Every time I'm in the US I stop at the duty free on the way back. Sometimes I'm with people who don't drink so I get to bring extra back for myself.

The brands are typically shit though. Last time I think I got 40s of Vodka and Rum for around $20CDN each, and they are normally twice that here. Taste like shit, but if you're mixing them they do the trick.

 

[Serana]

It sure is. Every time I'm in the US I stop at the duty free on the way back. Sometimes I'm with people who don't drink so I get to bring extra back for myself.

The brands are typically shit though. Last time I think I got 40s of Vodka and Rum for around $20CDN each, and they are normally twice that here. Taste like shit, but if you're mixing them they do the trick.

I think a 750-ml bottle of Smirnoff is $27-30 bucks here. The lowest I recall seeing a 750-ml of cheap vodka go was for $21.

 

[EvilDDS]

I love watching that Border Patrol show that TS posted. I know a lot of them are power-tripping but watching that show helps you realize the sheer amount of idiots that they deal with everyday. Always funny on the show when someone from another country comes in and they lose their shit at the protocol that they have to go through, have seen some on that show get cuffed and placed in the jail at the airport.

And I personally know a guy who was a border patrol guard. He even had a few scenes in the show on one episode. Guy was the biggest partier and coke-head too, type of guy to abuse his power as well. Wasn't a guard very long though, probably 2-3 years before he was fired. Had a good job and messed it up

 

[RedRocket44]

I think a quart of Smirnoff is $27-30 bucks here. The lowest I recall seeing a quart of cheap vodka go was for $21.

This stuff wasn't even up to Smirnoff standards. It was some brand I never heard of. American-something-or-other. I think it had an eagle as a logo. White Eagle maybe? American Eagle? I dunno, it was terrible to do shots of it though. Had to mask it with tons of mix or chase if you were doing shots. Pretty sure it was just paint thinner in a bottle.

You also had to buy them in pairs at the duty free (they had signs advertizing a special) -- 2 bottles for $40 I think it was (couldn't just do 1 for $20). I was with 3 other people who didn't want to bring back any booze for themselves, so I came back with 8 shitty bottles of rum and vodka.

 

[Serana]

This stuff wasn't even up to Smirnoff standards. It was some brand I never heard of. American-something-or-other. I think it had an eagle as a logo. White Eagle maybe? American Eagle? I dunno, it was terrible to do shots of it though. Had to mask it with tons of mix or chase if you were doing shots. Pretty sure it was just paint thinner in a bottle.

You also had to buy them in pairs at the duty free (they had signs advertizing a special) -- 2 bottles for $40 I think it was (couldn't just do 1 for $20). I was with 3 other people who didn't want to bring back any booze for themselves, so I came back with 8 shitty bottles of rum and vodka.

We have Smirnoff, Greygoose which are considered good. The cheapest ones are the random Russian brands. Costco and Superstore liquor stores are by far the cheapest and they offer bulk discounts.

 

[DHBiker]

When I was 21 a friend and I took a bus from Vancouver to LA to watch Iron Maiden. At the border the guard asked us what we were doing, so we told him. He said he needed proof, and asked for our tickets, but they were in our bags. Then he asked what hotel we were staying at, but we didn't know offhand, and that info was also in our bags.

So he said as proof, we had to name 5 Iron Maiden songs. After we named them, he said he was just giving us a hard time and he was jealous and let us go.

 

[Adamant]

I'm going to be driving from Niagara Falls to Michigan with a group of about four and I'm not sure if we should just go down and around (staying in the US) or if I should attempt to cut through Canada. On one hand, cutting through Canada is much quicker, but that's only if everything goes smoothly. I imagine there's potential for hours of delays for any number of reasons. Not sure if it's worth it.

Anyone ever try to go through with a record that's been expunged? What was the result of that? Did you disclose the original conviction or did you pretend like it never happened?