NZ customs tore GPU's off motherboard looking for gun

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#1343223 14-Jul-2015 18:25

The story could have read, "I fooled customs and got a gun through without them detecting it".
What a joke. Ha Ha Ha.

I'm not defending any damage done, but bringing a firearm (imitation but who knows) concealed through customs is not a joke.
Just because it appears plastic doesn't mean it cannot be used to threaten anyone, and in this day and age, putting your finger out underneath some form of cover could cause you to be arrested if you put someone in fear.

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#1343225 14-Jul-2015 18:33

nolanz: The story could have read, "I fooled customs and got a gun through without them detecting it".
What a joke. Ha Ha Ha.

I'm not defending any damage done, but bringing a firearm (imitation but who knows) concealed through customs is not a joke.
Just because it appears plastic doesn't mean it cannot be used to threaten anyone, and in this day and age, putting your finger out underneath some form of cover could cause you to be arrested if you put someone in fear.

Yes, but you have missed the point. This thing is completely legal in this country. Customs does not have right to stop anyone going about their lawful business. If they got "scared" that is their problem not the importers. They should have far better training than that.

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mdooher

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#1343226 14-Jul-2015 18:36

Michaelfjs: Good job, serves them right for having a stupid gun shaped cooler in their PC. It's bloody obvious that you shouldn't have anything that even looks like a gun while going through customs.

NZ customs did a good job.

Wrong, our law says you can. So you can.

The proof is in the fact that the importer got his goods.

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surfisup1000

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#1343233 14-Jul-2015 18:48

mdooher:
Michaelfjs: Good job, serves them right for having a stupid gun shaped cooler in their PC. It's bloody obvious that you shouldn't have anything that even looks like a gun while going through customs.

NZ customs did a good job.

Wrong, our law says you can. So you can.

The proof is in the fact that the importer got his goods.

Yet maybe not a great idea to shape things to look like a gun.

I do disagree that customs have the right to carelessly destroy goods in their care. They should take due care, and , in this case they did not.It looks like they did not remove the MOBO latches and simply tore the cards out. They could easily have sought advice but i'm guessing they do not care.

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#1343237 14-Jul-2015 18:52

interesting how some pounce on anything and make a big deal of it. I'm happy they are there doing their job even if they get it wrong sometimes.

I'm guessing these same detractors won't ever give credit where its due just take it for granted.

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#1343240 14-Jul-2015 18:53

surfisup1000:
mdooher:
Michaelfjs: Good job, serves them right for having a stupid gun shaped cooler in their PC. It's bloody obvious that you shouldn't have anything that even looks like a gun while going through customs.

NZ customs did a good job.

Wrong, our law says you can. So you can.

The proof is in the fact that the importer got his goods.

Yet maybe not a great idea to shape things to look like a gun.

I do disagree that customs have the right to carelessly destroy goods in their care. They should take due care, and , in this case they did not.It looks like they did not remove the MOBO latches and simply tore the cards out. They could easily have sought advice but i'm guessing they do not care.

I would go one further, they "intentionally(recklessly)damaged" someone's property. they do have certain powers under the customs act but they are not above the law.

I suspect they destroyed the motherboard to teach the importer a lesson. They should be prosecuted.

All this assuming the whole post is not a hoax

Matthew

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nolanz

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#1343243 14-Jul-2015 18:59

So teach customs staff to ignore what they think is a firearm, because it might be a graphics card. I don't think so.
It appears that credit should go to their detection methods for finding it.
Look up the firearms legislation regarding the importation and export of firearms.
Carrying of imitation firearm, except for lawful. proper, and sufficient purpose.
Customs staff are charged with detecting things like this. If they failed, they would be failing us.
Maybe I am too long in the tooth to figure out why someone would pay good money to have a piece of computer equipment made in the form of a gun, only to then have it concealed inside the computer where no one could see it unless it was opened up.

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mdooher

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#1343245 14-Jul-2015 19:03

jeffnz: happy they are there doing their job even if they get it wrong sometimes.

Sure, as long as the importer was fully reimbursed, including consequential losses.

But somehow I doubt this happened, The issue is the government MUST obey the law, and when they make mistakes they MUST make it right. If they don't do either of those things they are simply behaving as a police state.

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#1343251 14-Jul-2015 19:07

nolanz: So teach customs staff to ignore what they think is a firearm, because it might be a graphics card. I don't think so.
It appears that credit should go to their detection methods for finding it.
Look up the firearms legislation regarding the importation and export of firearms.
Carrying of imitation firearm, except for lawful. proper, and sufficient purpose.
Customs staff are charged with detecting things like this. If they failed, they would be failing us.
Maybe I am too long in the tooth to figure out why someone would pay good money to have a piece of computer equipment made in the form of a gun, only to then have it concealed inside the computer where no one could see it unless it was opened up.

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It's a heatsink that would be visible through the window on a gaming rig. See: http://www.gigabyte.co.nz/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4046#ov

I have a friend here at the moment who works for customs. He reckons they will have to pay out for destroying the board and whoever did it would get a bolloking because they are specifically told to be careful and not do damage like this.

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#1343252 14-Jul-2015 19:08

nolanz: So teach customs staff to ignore what they think is a firearm, because it might be a graphics card. I don't think so.
It appears that credit should go to their detection methods for finding it.
Look up the firearms legislation regarding the importation and export of firearms.
Carrying of imitation firearm, except for lawful. proper, and sufficient purpose.

Arms Act 1983

Assuming this was not detected in the post, in which case your argument is void...He was carrying it for a lawful and proper purpose, It was part of his computer.

Matthew

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#1343253 14-Jul-2015 19:11

send them a nicely worded letter advising that you would like them to replace it at their expense, include photo's of the damaged item.

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JWR

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#1343275 14-Jul-2015 19:45

mdooher:
nolanz: The story could have read, "I fooled customs and got a gun through without them detecting it".
What a joke. Ha Ha Ha.

I'm not defending any damage done, but bringing a firearm (imitation but who knows) concealed through customs is not a joke.
Just because it appears plastic doesn't mean it cannot be used to threaten anyone, and in this day and age, putting your finger out underneath some form of cover could cause you to be arrested if you put someone in fear.

Yes, but you have missed the point. This thing is completely legal in this country. Customs does not have right to stop anyone going about their lawful business. If they got "scared" that is their problem not the importers. They should have far better training than that.

Agreed.

This does seem like a total panic over reaction and not very professional.

If the customs officer, really thought there might be a gun, then he should have been a hell of a lot more careful collecting evidence.

nakedmolerat

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#1343278 14-Jul-2015 19:48

I wanted to know if NZ custom is responsible/required to pay for the damage?

DravidDavid

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#1343296 14-Jul-2015 20:39

nakedmolerat: I wanted to know if NZ custom is responsible/required to pay for the damage?

Almost certainly yes.

I have an uncle who worked in customs for years, perhaps I'll ask him for a sure-fire answer.

manhinli

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#1343387 14-Jul-2015 22:02

I don't think Customs would have at first visually sighted the "gun" before attempting to open the package and then get at it, so it would have been likely that they saw something gun-like embedded in a bunch of electronics in some X-ray image.

In which case I would think that would have been them performing their duty in immediately opening the package.

However, the rough handling of the cards probably was not necessary, though I can't say if its because of urgency, lack of knowledge/skill, brazenness, etc.

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