US Woman Was Fined RM2,000 After Bringing An Apple Out Of Her Flight
According to US Customs and Border Protection, the fine for failure to declare prohibited agricultural products is not more than USD1,000.
By Jia Vern Tham — 25 Apr 2018, 01:41 PM
US citizen Crystal Tadlock was not hungry on her flight back home from Paris recently. When a flight attendant gave out free apples in plastic bags, she decided to save hers for later.
However, Crystal was stopped at customs before boarding her flight to Denver, and the apple was discovered by a US Customs agent
"Well, we have an apple. This is a civil violation," the agent told her, according to Crystal.
In the US, apples and other agricultural products are considered a customs violation, and therefore necessary to be declared on a passenger's customs form.
CNN reported that she tried to explain to the agent that the apple was taken from her flight as it was kept in a Delta Air Lines plastic bag.
However, the agent claimed that there was no way to find out if the apple actually came from somewhere in France instead.
Crystal then asked the agent if she should either eat the apple or throw it away, but she was handed a USD500 (approximately RM2,000) fine instead
"He had asked me if my trip to France was expensive and I said yeah," Crystal was quoted as saying by BBC, not knowing why she was asked that question.
"It's about to get a lot more expensive after I charge you USD500," the agent told her.
According to CNN, Crystal has filed a complaint against the Customs agent for being "rude" and "seemed to take pleasure" in her situation.
"It's really unfortunate someone has to go through that and be treated like a criminal over a piece of fruit," she was quoted as saying by BBC.
BBC reported that she also plans to challenge the fine in court.
In response to Crystal's situation, Delta Air Lines said the rules of US customs have been made clear at airport entry points and forms
A representative from Delta Air Lines told CNN that the apple was meant to be eaten on the plane.
ABC News also reported the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as saying that all agriculture items must be declared. Failure to adhere to the rule will result in a fine of maximum USD1,000 (approximately RM4,000) for first-time offenders.