Douanes out on the road in France (1 Viewer)

[EdwardFT]

I noticed driving around the south of France in the last couple of weeks, at least 4 Customs teams stopping vehicles on the road. Two of them stopped me and asked a few questions while others searched my motorhome, but not in any real depth. I couldn't work out what they were after. The first team was 8 strong, the second 6, so quite large teams.

But it wasn't drugs, because they didn't have a dog. They also didn't have anybody that I could see on a motorbike, so they weren't planning any high-speed chases. They didn't get into the fine detail of cupboards etc so I guess it wasn't smuggling valuables. The first time, on the Côte d'Azur, I guessed people-smuggling. The second time was in the Centre, near Cahors. One of them asked me if I had anything to declare so I said no, then I asked what I might declare. He said, "weapons". Strange, this is hunting season and the woods in France are full of armed hunters, it looks like the Proud Boys out there, only in Dayglo.

And by the way they weren't interested in me or the motorhome and our document status. In the first case especially, they asked a lot of personal questions in a desultory sort of way, I suppose it was standard police-style, ask questions and see if the subject has any difficulty with them. Technically, in the course of giving my honest answers, I suppose that I admitted being in an irreguler situation as far as my motorhome registration as a French resident was concerned. They didn't care.

 

[Jaws]

Weapons are indeed the most likely thing
They are experienced... They develop a feeling for who is likely to be carrying dodgy gear.. You obviously seem like an honest soul who did not raise any ticks in their personal alarm box

 

[Jaws]

Forgot.. We have been stopped twice at Dover..Both times bags of bacca ignored and a cabinet of scotch ignored..
Both times they were looking for weapons

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[TheBig1]

3 priorities

people
weapons
drugs

They most likely had intelligence of something being moved in a motorhome. Using profiling they have a good idea who to target, and it's not always youngsters as some might think

 

[Clarky]

Forgot.. We have been stopped twice at Dover..Both times bags of bacca ignored and a cabinet of scotch ignored..
Both times they were looking for weapons

Some people obviously have that 'dodgy' look about them.

 

[Otter Spotter]

Some people obviously have that 'dodgy' look about them.

It will be the Funster smile sticker The other website has grassed us up

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[gus-lopez]

yes 15th december 2019 on way back from UK. About an hour north of Bordeaux. 2 customs & 4 gendarmes +lollopy dog.
I had overnighted on an aire de reopos & had just returned from walking the dog.
"do you speak French"
" No spanish or english" "Aah english is good. " He chatted with the 2 stooges looking over his shoulder & translated for them, the dog bounced around trying to get treats out of my pockets . No paperwork of any type was asked for & no one was interested in looking in the van.the lone female officer never took her eyes off the game she was playing on her phone & to this day they still think I'm a spaniard.
20 minutes after got pulled in for a weight check as they thought I was a commercial. only ever seen 1 gendarme before in 6 years & a couple of hundred thousand kms.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Some people obviously have that 'dodgy' look about them.

Sounds like my wife 9/10 times we go on holiday through passport control at the airport they search her

They do have a sense of humour when I tell them to get the rubber gloves out

Did get detained at JFK once in a dark room for a while as they were looking for someone with the same name as me
Had visions of starting my holiday walking around like John Wayne

 

[filopastry]

3 priorities

people
weapons
drugs

They most likely had intelligence of something being moved in a motorhome. Using profiling they have a good idea who to target, and it's not always youngsters as some might think

amongst many things that can be trafficked. One sees them frequently at the peages throughout France, and I have been stopped and checked a couple of times in a HGV and also a car. In the HGV as well as checking the vehicle they also did a check for red (blue) diesel. France has an enormous "through country" traffic from Spanish and Italian areas and beyond. These stops are frequently not carried out on "intelligence received" but previous experiences and result.

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[PandS]

We were stopped at a road block by Douanes just outside Mont Louis in October last year. They wanted to know if we had been to Andorra. They didn’t search the van but wanted to know how much cash we had. We were stopped, along with a small van, while the locally registered cars went straight through, which is understandable.