I was on the phone getting debriefed about a purchase by our rare coin buyer David. He was in northwest Washington State driving back to his hotel. At one point he exclaims that he just missed his exit. Then he complains that he is in bumper to bumper traffic and is headed over a bridge. It’s late, he’s tired and not happy. We continue talking when he next exclaimed that there is a sign welcoming him to Canada. After laughing a bit, I commented to him that it is a good thing that he is not carrying any contraband. He finally reaches the customs booth and I hear him beginning to explain that he was distracted and made a wrong turn. They asked if he was on his cell phone which he of course denied.
The travail continues when he calls me back more than two hours later.
They decided to toss his vehicle. In doing so they found the rare coins he was transporting. Of course it is illegal to cross the Canadian border with valuable rare coins. Second they found that he was carrying over $20,000 in cash. Another strike as you aren’t allowed to have in excess of $10,000 on you. They proceeded to examine everything, and questioned him for 90 minutes before finally allowing him to return to the U.S.
My comment to him was that at least they forwent the body cavity search.
