The biggest problem is that there doesn't seem to be any professional risk when customs agents "get it wrong". It seems that the agent could decided that your Sony Walkman is an agricultural product and take it from you and there will be shrugs all around.
With no downside whatsoever for overstepping bounds, added with the kinds of people that are attracted to this sort of job, its almost inevitable that bored agents will start hassling people when things get slow.
There's plenty of professional risk, but it's all present in going outside the lines. One of the first casualties of the terrorism scare was the ability of public employees to exercise common sense.
With no downside whatsoever for overstepping bounds, added with the kinds of people that are attracted to this sort of job, its almost inevitable that bored agents will start hassling people when things get slow.