At that point, U.S. customs seized his money, setting off a two-year struggle for Zapeta to get it back.

CNN: Mistake costs dishwasher $59,000

After customs officials seized the money, they turned Zapeta over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

CNN: Mistake costs dishwasher $59,000

Revenue and Customs officers seized nearly 4, 000 litres of illicit fuel, 750 litres of methanol, 200 litres of kerosene, pumps, equipment and business records.

BBC: Cooking oil theft 'costs Treasury ?25m a year in lost duty'

Only last week, Ukrainian customs officials seized a Russian cargo ship bound for Libya and carrying a multilaterally-controlled chemical used in the production of rocket fuel.

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Customs officers have seized more than 350, 000 counterfeit cigarettes in raids across Kent.

BBC: Counterfeit cigarettes seized in raids in Kent

The haul was seized by Customs officers in March last year while four of the men were enjoying a celebration drink.

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The film fell foul of censors in Germany, the UK and the US - where it was seized by customs officials ahead of a planned screening at the New York Film Festival.

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In the print-shop case, the Westminster police and the U.S. Customs Service arrested 15 men and seized an industrial printing press, a shrink-wrap machine and crate upon crate of illegitimate Windows 95 documentation.

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An investigation by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs led to nine million cigarettes being seized in raids at nine UK locations in 2009.

BBC: Cigarette smuggling gang led by Coventry man jailed