Section 123 presumption for seized primary gold and gold...

Section 123 presumption for seized primary gold and gold cut-pieces shifts the burden to the ownership claimant only after Customs establishes that the goods are of foreign origin. Foreign markings alone do not prove smuggling and require supporting evidence of illegal importation. Where the seized gold lacks clear foreign markings and Customs produces no further evidence of foreign origin or smuggled character, the burden remains with Customs. The statutory presumption does not apply in those circumstances, and confiscation of the gold and consequential penalty were set aside.