Bus driver fined $4500 for undeclared cigarettes and seeds
7 Feb, 2021 01:44 AM
2 minutes to read
Woo Chan Shim, 58, was sentenced in the Manukau District Court on Thursday, after pleading guilty to charges. Photo / 123RF
RNZ
A Rotorua bus driver has been fined $4500 for trying to smuggle seeds and undeclared cigarettes into the country.
Woo Chan Shim, 58, was sentenced in the Manukau District Court on Thursday, after pleading guilty to charges.
Shim returned to Auckland from Korea on September 2019.
Upon entry to the country, he ticked no to the question on the declaration form about whether he was carrying goods on behalf of another person; no for plants or plant products , and no to bringing in more than 50 cigarettes.
A Rotorua bus driver has been fined $4,500 for attempting to smuggle seeds into New Zealand, in breach of the Biosecurity Act 1993. Woo Chan Shim, 58, pleaded guilty to 2 charges related to an incident at Auckland International Airport. He was sentenced in the Manukau District Court yesterday. MPI regional team manager compliance investigations north, Simon Anderson, says this sentence serves as a good reminder that anyone who smuggles seeds or undeclared goods into New Zealand will be caught and prosecuted. It is important to remember that bringing unauthorised goods into the country by any method, whether smuggling through the border in person or receiving products by mail, puts New Zealand s biosecurity at risk.