Customs investigators rifled through piles of Christmas presents in an airport duty check -- and ended up confiscating a suitcase.

Now they face accusations of acting like "the Gestapo''.

The officers were sent packing when they turned up at the home of Lynne Morrison with a warrant to search for her luggage two weeks after stopping her at the airport.

But they returned to the St. David's house four hours later and gave her a 40-minute grilling because she had not declared the case.

Mrs. Morrison had bought the luggage in England after relatives overloaded her with small presents for her two-year-old son.

She did not have to pay duty when she passed through customs earlier this month because the gifts were only of small value.

But her ordeal began when her mother-in-law posted a parcel to Bermuda containing more toys and presents -- and an envelope of receipts for everything Mrs. Morrison bought in the UK.

Customs officers opened the envelope and photocopied every receipt.

And they discovered that Mrs. Morrison had bought the case in England for 75.

Her husband David told The Royal Gazette : "We were absolutely shocked because this was simply an oversight.

"My wife didn't even think to declare her case. First, customs officers turned up at the NASA offices where she works but she wasn't in.

"Then we had them round at our house at 7.30 on Monday morning. I told them to go away and come back later because my wife was in bed and to be honest I didn't think she should have been woken at that time.

"When they did return there were three of them and they came in like the Gestapo. They were not friendly at all.'' He said the officers took the case when they searched the house on Dollys Bay Road at 11 a.m. on Monday.

And now Mrs. Morrison, 33, will have to be interviewed by the acting Collector of Customs, Norma Smith.

Customs chiefs have said officers are trying to use their own discretion when searching Christmas travellers.

Ms Smith added: "This inquiry will be treated very sensitively and if Mrs.

Morrison has any grievances they will be looked into.

"We have not accused her of deliberately failing to declare the case. But the law does state that everything acquired abroad should be declared.'' Mr. Morrison said his wife had been travelling with her young son when they were stopped by customs.

He added: "She left a lot of stuff in England because there was no room to carry it and Lynne declared everything she had to.

"She simply forgot to declare the suitcase itself. We know that the envelope of receipts was opened because the officers showed us photocopies of them all.'' Mrs. Morrison had a brush with customs once before, when her wedding dressed was unpacked and searched as she arrived in Bermuda to get married in 1992.

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