Banned booty brings a big fine
An AK-47 assault rifle or a full-size stuffed polar bear is not likely to be high on most people's overseas holiday shopping lists.
But they are two of the more extreme examples of the thousands of illegal and prohibited items customs officers seize every year from passengers travelling to Perth.
And with the holiday season about to hit full swing, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service says it pays to check before you go what you can bring back to avoid any potentially costly and embarrassing delays on your return.
Knuckle dusters, pellet guns, crossbows, flick knives, laser pointers and electric stun guns are items that are readily available in places such as Bali where sales people have been known to assure unwary customers that such items are legal in Australia.
But a spokesman for assistant Immigration and Border Protection Minister Michaelia Cash said attempting to import them could result in fines up to $275,000 and a maximum of 10 years jail.
"Every year travellers are losing their hard-earned money by bringing items and gifts back into Australia that they can't keep," the spokesman said.
"We strongly advise all travellers to refer to the Know Before You Go brochure before any overseas trip."
An AK-47 assault rifle and full-size stuffed polar bear among items seized by Perth customs officers. Picture: Lincoln Baker/ The West Austrlain
Customs officers have also warned against attempting to post prohibited items home while on holidays.
Australia-wide, more than 50 million packages are routinely inspected at mail sorting centres each year for prohibited items, which include medications such as steroids, hardcore pornography and animal parts.
