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1) This reeks of gocha-ism for forgetting you kept an apple from your flight. One of those technically the customs agent is right but they are out of their minds moments. 500 dollars seems excessive.
2) Wasnt the law written for people having to declare agricultural items they bought overseas and not with a piece of fruit the airline gave you?
3) Yet another case of airport security/ customs acting like [swear words] because they can. These jobs seem to attract an abnormally high number of sociopaths. Yes the majority are at a minimum, professional in demeanor, but the number of [swear words] seems above the median.
4) Yes she has to pay the fine. Apparently not the first time as some online forums are mentioning similar incidents. Like I said. It reeks of gocha-ism by the government.
5) Anyone want to take bets on how many of the ones saying the fine wasnt big enough, would be squealing like an impaled pig if it happened to them.
Delta should pay it as they provided it all while knowing where the plane was going to land. Either don't hand 'em out or warn the passengers.
The Customs agent was a smug douche no matter what...
Uh, she is s member of the Global Entry program. They are held to a higher standard than regular travelers. It’s called trusted traveler. Forgetting to declare is grounds for expulsion and fines from the program. She knew that when she applied and was accepted into the program.
She had Global Entry privileges. That means that just before she was caught and fined, she stood at a kiosk and and explicitly indicated that she did not possess any fruit. Fault lies with her in my mind.
An 18 year old can buy liquor at the duty free store inside the airport in many countries around the world. It's not the store's fault he gets a ticket when he tries to bring it into the US.
You have to say you don't have fruit, meat, etc. I guess it could have slipped her mind.
Here's the thing -- those immigration officers have a large span of power or control. The officer could have thrown it out and warned her or he could have been a smart ass ...he chose the smart ass comment and actions.
You just don't take chances with immigration officers...they are in charge and that's that.
Delta should pay it as they provided it all while knowing where the plane was going to land. Either don't hand 'em out or warn the passengers.
The Customs agent was a smug douche no matter what...
Took my two dam Cuban cigars!
Seems it's OK to take them back from Cuba, but not from Mexico.
It sucks, but it's the way of international travel, and the customs declaration form specifically has a checkbox for "fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, food, insects" - don't check the "No" box, sign the form, then bring fruit. And if you're a seasoned enough traveler to make Global Entry worth your while, you should know.
As for the attitude, customs and immigration officials tend to be power-tripping martinets and it has been that way for ever.
realistically, if the apple was used by the airline company, it already passed customs
they should not have "held" the item since it was "pre-checked"
^This. All of that food was loaded onto the plane but wasn't inspected?
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