Sure, the food on flights isn't exactly known for its culinary quality - but that's also because we can taste less . Maybe that's why two weeks ago a woman and recently a man packed a sandwich or McMuffins in their luggage, but then didn't eat it and instead traveled to Australia with it... which turned out to be quite expensive!
The woman with the sandwich
A sharepic with the message made us curious: Did a woman really have to pay a fine of €1,844 because she didn't declare half a sandwich to customs in Australia?
shared on Facebook by WDR 2 on August 2nd , giving the impression that it is a current event. Washington Post and The Independent, among others . Not too bad, but curiously a man also recently received a fine for a similar offense, but we'll get to that in a moment.
In fact, 19-year-old Australian Jessica Lee, known to her family as “Subway Girl”, had to pay a fine of 2,664 Australian dollars (1,844 US dollars = around 1,810 euros) because she had only half eaten a sandwich she bought during a stopover in Singapore (no, she bought a whole sandwich!) and didn't declare it to customs.
Although Subway was unable to pay her fine directly, it did send Lee a voucher for sandwiches equal to the fine and a package of branded items, which Lee unpacked for her followers.
@_jessicaleeee Replying to @subwayaustralia ARE YOU KIDDING?! 😩😻😻 basically free subs for a year #fyp #subwayfine #subway #eatfresh ♬ original sound – Jessica Lee
The man with the McMuffins
The man's name is unknown, but he also apparently received the same punishment as Jessica Lee, as CNN and RND , reported at the beginning of August: He had to pay exactly 2,664 Australian dollars because he had two undeclared McMuffins with egg and beef sausage as well as a ham croissant had in his luggage.
Why Australia imposes such strict penalties
What Jessical Lee and the unknown man did not do: When returning to Australia, put a tick in the box on the reporting form that refers to the Australian biosecurity law . This law is intended to prevent pests and diseases from entering the country.
Australia strictly enforces its biosecurity laws . The country, known for its diverse landscapes and wildlife, places great emphasis on remaining “free from the world’s most invasive pests and diseases,” according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
This means that all travelers and their luggage will be checked using X-ray machines, sniffer dogs, physical checks and interviews Arriving passengers will also be given a form on which they must declare “ all high-risk goods, including food, animal products and plant material ,” the agency said. Failure to comply can result in a range of penalties - including criminal prosecution, visa cancellation or, as in the two cases, a fine of 2,664 Australian dollars.
In a statement on the latest case, Murray Watt, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, said:
Darwin's new biosecurity detector dog Zinta has discovered undeclared meat on a passenger arriving from Indonesia.
Sniffer dog Zinta responded to a passenger's backpack and, upon further inspection, it was found to be carrying a variety of high-risk products, including two egg and beef sausage McMuffins from McDonald's in Bali and a ham croissant. The confiscated meat products are tested for foot and mouth disease (FMD) before they are destroyed.
“I have no sympathy for people who flout Australia’s strict biosecurity measures and recent revelations show you will get caught.
Australia is foot-and-mouth disease-free and we want to keep it that way,” he said. “Biosecurity is no joke – it helps protect jobs, our farms and food and supports the economy.
Passengers who decide to travel must ensure they meet the conditions for entry into Australia by following all biosecurity measures." The traveler was issued with a 12-point penalty notice for potentially carrying items with a high biosecurity risk had not stated and submitted a false and misleading document.
Article image: Australian Government
Also interesting:
Ooooooooooh, who lives in a pineapple deep in the sea?
Mi-mi-ka-ma! Almost... it's SpongeBob SquarePants, and supposedly Bikini Bottom is underneath Bikini Atoll, making the sponge and all the other residents atomic mutants. What's that about it? – Is Bikini Bottom under Bikini Atoll? So is SpongeBob a mutant?
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