The $500 apple: Woman fined for failing to declare fruit she was given on flight
'It’s really unfortunate someone has to go through that and be treated like a criminal over a piece of fruit'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A woman from Colorado has been fined $500 (£360) after failing to declare an apple that she took from a transatlantic flight.
Crystal Tadlock was given the fruit sealed in a wrapper on her Delta flight from Paris to Minneapolis on 18 April. She did not eat it on the journey and decided to save it for her connecting flight to Denver.
As Minneapolis was her first landing point in the US, Ms Tadlock was required to declare all food products, or deposit the offending item in an “amnesty bin”.
But a random check by US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service officials discovered the forbidden fruit.
She told Denver TV station Fox 31: “He had asked me if my trip to France was expensive and I said, ‘yeah’. I didn’t really get why he was asking that question and then he said ‘it’s about to get a lot more expensive after I charge you $500’.”
She added that she had pointed out the Delta logo on the wrapper, showing the fruit came from the airline.
“It’s really unfortunate someone has to go through that and be treated like a criminal over a piece of fruit," she said.
The passenger also lost her Global Entry status, which provides express screening and border control for international journeys.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments