"picking on'' and "harassing'' young black people arriving at the Airport.

Her teenaged son and another black male appeared to be the only two people pulled aside by Customs officers after they arrived with 300 other people on a British Airways flight on Tuesday night, she claimed yesterday.

To make matters worse, the female Customs officer asked him a series of "embarrassing'' and "stupid'' questions, she said.

Obviously heeding safe sex warnings, her 19-year-old son was made to believe carrying a condom was a crime, she said.

The officer, after finding a package of condoms in his luggage, asked him accusingly: "What's this for?'' "They are telling these children to practice safe sex and she asks him what was he doing with a condom!,'' said the mother, who did not want to be named.

"She asked him what his shoes were made of, what kind of soles they had, what was he doing in London, where were his papers -- did he have proof of what he was doing there...

"I understand they have a procedure for checking. But what's that got to do with checking for drugs?,'' she asked.

Her son had been looking at universities in London, not smuggling drugs, she said.

The woman said she was writing an official complaint to Customs.

She pointed out she had spoken to a senior Customs officer about her son's treatment, but was upset by his attitude.

Her son said he believed he was singled out by Customs because of his race.

The teenager, who also did not want to be named, said he was the only person in a queue made up of mostly white people who was pulled aside.

And it was not the first time he had been singled out and grilled by Customs agents, he said.

His mother added she was "sick and tired of customs''.

On past trips, she had also been asked "stupid'' questions, she said, such as what were her bags made out of.

"Bermudians are being intimidated too much,'' she said. "They are not acting fair down there.'' Her son charged that air travel was especially stressful for young black people like himself.

"It makes you think twice about travelling,'' he said.

He said his excitement at going abroad to university in September was dampened by the thought of having to go though Customs checks.

"It's nerve-racking,'' he said. "I was standing in line when this lady tapped me on the shoulder and said come this way. She searched my stuff and asked me all these personal questions.

"I've never liked the system. It deters you from travelling. I travel a lot and when my mom's with me she gets nervous too.

"I'm going to university in September and I worry, `do I have to go through this every time I go through Customs'. There were people who looked a lot rougher than me and were not pulled aside.

"The only other person singled out was another black guy who was travelling with his grandmother.'' Collector of Customs Mr. Gerry Ardis could not be reached for comment.