Customs racketeering, a form of piracy, is the act of customs agents seizing cargo on ships for their own gain but claiming that they have the legal right to do so. Customs racketeering was a big problem mainly during the pre- and post- American Revolutionary years, which caused numerous conflicts between the United States and Great Britain.
Famous quotes containing the word customs:
“Neighboring farmers and visitors at White Sulphur drove out occasionally to watch ‘those funny Scotchmen’ with amused superiority; when one member imported clubs from Scotland, they were held for three weeks by customs officials who could not believe that any game could be played with ‘such elongated blackjacks or implements of murder.’”
—For the State of West Virginia, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)