Gilligan's Island treatment at border

[Rhondasway]

So I got the "3 hour tour" yesterday when re-entering the US.

I went up for a simple trans service and to pick up someone's old exhaust, and they decided to search my truck coming back. I've been through this before, no big thing, but this time I was locked in "the room" with my dog for over an hour without hearing anything. I was being patient, but was late for other appointments, so decided to ask what the hold up was.

There were a bunch of officers gathered, including some plain-clothes guys, and all eyes were on me. They informed me that a drug dog had "responded positively" to marijuana on my fuel tank, and that they were trying to decide what to do about it.

I was shocked and immediately got distressed, as we've all heard the horror stories about how they tear apart your vehicle with lots of damage and no remorse. A little while later they sent in some narcotics officers to chat with me, telling me that they were taking my truck to a shop and having the tank dropped!!

Anyone who knows me knows how protective I am about my truck. NOBODY drives my truck for ANY reason!! I figured at this point that I had no rights, and through teary eyes (yeah, I'm such a chick sometimes) I asked them to PLEASE be careful, telling them that it wouldn't take much to damage it irreversibly (at this point I'm picturing some fool hot-rodding it, shutting it off hot, etc). I also asked them if they were going to tow it, and if so, to please put the transfer case in Neutral.

Well, I sit there for quite some time longer, with them oh-so-subtley watching me from across the room. They confiscated my cell phone and told me I would not be allowed to make any phone calls. I asked them to walk my dog, which they did.

They sent the narcotics officers in a couple of times to make small talk with me and ask me to confess now to save trouble later. I informed them that they would not find anything. It also occurred to me during this time that I had just a couple of days ago gotten under my truck and washed the entire frame and the fuel tank!! DOH!!:{ (yeah, I must have too much time on my hands... )

It occurred to me to tell these kind folks about this, so I did. I let them know that I'm heading to a dyno event this weekend wherein my truck will be on a lift in front of lots of guys and I wanted it to look its best.

Anyway, after the 3-plus hours went by, they came back in to tell me that they had not found anything. "I told you that" I said with a patient, exhausted smile. I was also thinking, of course, that there is no way that they took that fuel tank off. Anyone who's had one dropped knows that it takes a lot longer than that... Not to mention my fuel level was exactly where I'd left it...

Of course, I'm not ever going to press my luck up there, because I know how I'd feel when I hear them fire up the jaws of life to dis-assemble my "Pavement Princess"!:{

I did, however, ask the nice young officer who gave me back my keys if he drove it. He gave me the shyest down-cast eyed look and got this wicked little grin. I grinned back and asked confidentially "Did you like it?". He just looked at the floor and nodded, that silly grin on his face, "Sure smokes a lot at first... "

"Yeah", I said back, "You have a fantastic evening". As I turned to leave he said quickly and enthusiastically "Have a good night!!"

 

[Straight6Jeff]

Sounds like the dog needs to have it's nose re-checked. Brings up an interesting point, What did you clean the underside of your truck with? How did the dog know it was marijuana? aren't the dogs trained to hit on a variety of narcotics? Seems like the Border patrol was in the mood for a joy ride.

 

[Shovelhead]

WOW!!!!!

You're alot more patient than I'd have been in that situation.





Good job turning it into a not-so-bad situation.



I still think the dog handler can interpret an "Alert" on anything he choses to look at.

They just use the K-9 as an excuse for "Grounds for a search"

 

[Hohn]

IT REALLY bothers me that they confiscated your cell phone!! Isn't that illegal? What right do they have to seize private property without a warrant???



Another step towards the police state. God bless Americka

 

[DKayser]

Snoop Dogg??????????

Did the furball scratch your paint? They had drug dogs at work a while ago, and it scratched the snot out of a guy`s truck bed to get at a candy bar in back of the truck.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

Re: Snoop Dogg??????????

Originally posted by DKayser

They had drug dogs at work a while ago, and it scratched the snot out of a guy`s truck bed to get at a candy bar in back of the truck.

:-laf :-laf

 

[Doc Tinker]

Somebody told them your truck was BOMBed !!



Doc

 

[EMD Diesel Power]

Its been awhile since I've done border crossings... . but are there 2 Border posts? American and Canadian??? Both give trouble or is it always the American Border Patrol with nothing to do?



last time I was cross-border was when I was 12... . dont remember much about the policies/procedures. 9/11 would have changed it all anyways.



I have to give quite alot of kudos to Rhonda for great self-control. I would have been shooting people with the confiscation of property bit... (not to mention idiots touching the rig). I would have told em to get a warrant first... . even if it took forever. More grounds for a lawsuit.



Could the cleaner and diesel mixed/reacted to give a false positive for marijuana? thats a question for the chemistry heads here.



As for Rhonda cleaning the underframe and tank..... I did that when I brought mine used (stripped the the little rust off and primed/painted it) and it got a bath under there every time I washed it afterwards. Im not the only one with too much time on thier hands when it comes to toys. Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[TowPro]

Maybe the dog was a diesel freek like we are all, but they just don't understand (much like our wives) and thought he was really trying to tell them it was dope

 

[Rhondasway]

hindsight

Thanks you guys, you made me snicker at this whole thing!

I have been searched before in this truck, and I go to Canada frequently to race or do diesel work. I think what happened is this: When you go into Canada, they ask how long you'll be there. Since I was taking beer across the border (don't leave home without it), and didn't know how long the transmission work would take, I told them I may stay overnight. Now, I don't know if they share information with our boys, but I think they must...

Anyway, once done at DTT (once again VERY happy with the service/ results Oo. ), I went by Piers' to get my new/old exhaust. At the border they asked about the exhaust since I went up for transmission work, and off to inspection I went.

Then I think what happened is that they saw how clean the underside of my truck was and made up the whole dog thing... I never saw a dog, and I had been sitting within eyeshot for the first 1/2 hour or so.

After that, I think they were just fishing. I did get upset, which probably made me look guilty, but once I had resigned myself to someone else taking control of my truck I just played with my dog and stared at the ceiling until they were done.

I know they had a dog in my cab, though, as my dog reacted when we went to leave. It also looks as though they did indeed remove my tank (I think I'll take it to them instead of Dodge if the sending unit ever needs replacing; they're FAST!! )

As far as which side is the worst, Canada never messes with me... As a matter of fact, I've had the questioning officer ask if I'm " the girl that drag races". The US side, however...

I guess they're just doing their job, but I can tell you that I don't look forward to how they're going to treat me in the future. The bummer is that my "home track" is Mission BC, and my best diesel guys (DTT and PDR) are both up there...

Time will tell!

 

[Eric Kahn]

I have been searched going into Canada (hint, never leave a copy of "Handguns" laying on the floor of an extremly messy car)

the most frustrating part was the fact that the officers seem to have never seen a VW new Beetle before and kept trying to force things open and would not let me help them open things



Also US customs rules have changed and you have to be in Canada for 48 hours before anything is duty free



this is at the Port Huron crossing above detriot

 

[Briar Hopper]

Rhonda, I'm assuming that was the border crossing at Sumas? We got stuck there for half an hour on the way home, when Stefan was taking us to the Bellingham airport, after a week with Bill & family. All the uniforms seemed to know him, and they knew Bill's truck. Didn't matter. They ran our passports through the mill, and took their time. I remember thinking, "here we are, while some guy back up the road a couple miles probably hops the ditch into the U. S. and gets away with it. " :-laf

 

[QRTRHRS]

Must be tough to cross these days.

I used to cross the border at Alexandria Bay an average of three times each way a week and sometimes up to a dozen or more. Same truck, same company. Tractor and trailer registered in Ontario. Companies name listed as stateside on the door and Ontario in smaller letters.



Everytime going north, "Do you have a firearm?" Same stern look every time. I knew every guards face but never ever said anything but yes sir, no sir, yes maam, no maam.



Anyone ever go through one of those southern crossings coming in to the US like in Laredo, TX? Dogs, serious weapons, you wonder if your at the right border.

 

[Sticks]

I would not have expected that at a Canadian crossing. Damn you are a patient person Rhonda. The first words out of my mouth after being informed that I was being detained would have been "You better be right about this... " and then demand to see the dog re-inspect my vehicle.



But I have a short fuse when I detect a load of BS coming my way, and chose not to make any friends out of the shovelers.

 

[hammersley]

She played it right ----

You think you've got problems - after passage of the new 9/11 anti terrorism legislation - just try and be a Big (Man - sorry Rhondasway) and be impatient ! Well you've just let yourself in to a whole lot of whoop a_ _ !!! And you no longer have the same liberties as you once did - search and seizure rules are now different! DON't TRY and be a MR/MRS KNOW IT ALL! This is no longer like Mayberry! Rhondasway sure was patient - BTW - what sort of a furry beast do you have????

 

[Oil Burner]

I haven't had any troubles crossing yet, but as you say, they are doing thier jobs. I was on my way to Ontario early morning on 9-11. the wife called as i was halfway there and told me about the news. I came back that day. Anyway, my worst fear was having my truck torn apart and put back together with the "extra" parts lying in the bed. But, so far, the worst I had to do was shut the engine off before the turbo was fully cooled. I figured the guy in the booth didn't want a lecture on oil cooled turbo chargers, so i just shut it down.

-Jason

 

[Doc Tinker]

I've been lucky with all my crossings, to date. Last summer, after leaving Calgary, we came back in at Coutts, Alberta/Sweetgrass, Montana and the inspector asked me if anyone was riding in my TT. Of course there wasn't anyone back there, but I could have lied. He didn't seem to care enough to check it out. I might have had a trailer full of Mexicans!!



Doc

 

[JoeBioDiesel]

I hate crossing the border, and always seem to get hassled by the Canadian side. Last time they made me turn back after keeping me around for over 3 hours. I've got a Passport and everything but they said I had too much electrical equipment with me(I had some Automotive Diagnostic Equipment with me, I used to do diagnostic training for Snap-on and VW in Eastern Canada). I've been held and hassled several times, and so does anyone riding with me. I'm pretty sure they flag your name in their computers and know by your license plate as you drive up. I get picked out every time. I think it all started when I got a bag X-rayed and they thought it had a blasting cap in it. It turned out to be an in-line fuse holder. This was all after using the chemical sniffer and dog. I was a bit of a smart-a**, and they've loved me ever since. Now I avoid speaking to them at all. I just answer their questions... . monotone-like.

Joe

 

[Rhondasway]

It's sure an uncomfortable feeling having no control of your circumstances... I just figured that if I made them mad, they could really damage my truck not to mention keeping me there indefinately in a cold uncomfortable room not even being able to phone home. From now on I'm taking a good book with me into "the room" and I'll just bide my time quietly.

If they get any more invasive on future crossings, I'm going to re-evaluate my need for trips up there...

My dog is a Rottweiler/ ? cross (has merling on the black part). I had Rottweilers up until my two boys (littermates) died in May. Now "Hemi 'Cuda" is my last dog. She's a 3 year old female, and quite a little freak. Oo.

 

[Champane Flight]

Had

Had a friend get the same treatment at the border. It was found he had driven his truck through a field two days before on the US side. The field had some wild stuff growing in it, stuck in his undercarriage.