Customs Officers from the Maritime Compliance Team of the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service have seized undeclared goods that included live dogs, cigarettes, liquor and R22 gas cylinders from two foreign fishing vessels at the Suva wharf.
The R22 gas is an ozone depleting substance.
Revenue and Customs CEO Visvanath Das says these fishing vessels were profiled as high risk by their officers and upon arrival were searched for smuggled items.
The assessment by the officers was proven correct as undeclared items and nine dogs were found on the vessel.
Das says their officers notified Biosecurity Authority of Fiji regarding the undeclared dogs and handed over the R22 cylinders to the Department of Environment.
Other undeclared items have been detained by Customs.
It is an offence not to declare items carried in the vessel.
Das has commended the investigation carried out by Revenue and Customs officers.
Biosecurity Authority has ensured that the dogs are now securely bonded on‑board the fishing vessels and is monitoring them on a daily basis.
The Authority will continue to monitor the animals until the fishing vessels leave Fiji.
The fishing vessels have been fined for not declaring the dogs.
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