Actually U.S. customs at the Nassau airport is usually a convenience, you complete the form 94 customs declaration at the airline counter and walk right through customs.  Then you get your bags at the end of the flight in the U.S. and are on your way.
The same group of us cleared customs there last year and the only quirk was they would not let us take King Helmets in our carryon and made us put them into the checked luggage.  No explanation was given for that order, I wondered to myself what threat our geriatric group would present with a king helmet in the cabin.
Years ago I was going through customs in Santo Domingo with land shells which had been preserved in Isopropyl alcohol  (IPA) and water mixture with the liquid poured off prior to packing.  The customs officer in the Dominican Republic lifted up the clear plastic bag which had some liquid and detritus and said "soil?" and my heart sunk and then she said "Para comer?" and I started to laugh as who would eat microscopic land shells preserved in IPA?  Well after some discussion that the IPA made everything sterile and certainly non-edible I was cleared.  But it was a good lesson that land shells with their slime and dirt have to be well cleaned off externally prior to customs.

Alan
Merritt Island, FL

---- Richard Parker <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> This sounds horrible. I once had the same problem, coming back to England
> with a collection of shells from the Philippines. Problem was, I also had
> a five-year old, very small end-of-joint roach amongst the detritus at the
> bottom of one of my camera bag pockets. The British customs searched my
> two bags, and me (in the most embarrassing manner) and found nothing more.
> The shell collection was in my main bag, so they took them out, unwrapped
> the tissue paper, and crushed each one, by hand, in front of my eyes. I
> was let go after agreeing to give a $100 (Pounds50) 'contribution' to the
> Police charity.
>
> Please don't hold out any hopes for restitution. These thugs are employed
> by your state (as mine) to make sure you know your place.
>
> But what were American Customs doing in Nassau? Is that an American colony
> now ?
>
> regards
>
> Richard
>
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