A Montreal business owner is facing a significant penalty for importing a luxury watch without declaring it to customs.
In a recent ruling, a Federal Court judge ordered David Segall Blouin to pay a $35,000 fine along with $11,400 in Quebec sales tax for a $115,000 watch he purchased over two years ago.
Blouin traveled to Philadelphia to buy the watch from a high-end dealer in August 2022 and returned to Montreal on the same day without reporting the purchase to customs.
He had the watch box shipped to Canada via FedEx, claiming he intended to pay duties upon delivery.
However, Canada Border Services Agency agents discovered that the package’s manifest listed the watch’s value as just six dollars.
Blouin, who owns a transport and logistics company in Montreal, contested the fine in Federal Court but ultimately lost. He has now been instructed to cover the government’s legal fees as well.
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