Booze cruise is legal

last updated 8 January 2015

London

Customs officials may no longer stop British travelers to search their vehicles for excessive amounts of liquor or tobacco, the British High Court ruled this week. Brits frequently take short day trips—known as “booze cruises”—across the English Channel to France to stock up on wine and cigarettes, which are much cheaper without British taxes. The purchases are legal, but only if they’re for personal consumption. In the past year, authorities have been cracking down on people who bring home cases of booze and butts; Kim Cundle, a businesswoman and mother of four, was randomly stopped, and a search revealed that she was carrying a trunkful of liquor for her upcoming 40th birthday party. Customs officials confiscated all the liquor and even Cundle’s Mercedes, an act that outraged many Britons. Under the new ruling, customs officials will not be allowed to impound goods unless there is evidence they are intended for resale.