A $500 fine has been dropped against a traveler who attempted to bring in an apple to the USA she was given as part of a Delta pre-arrival snack.
As I wrote about in April, Crystal Tadlock was on a Delta flight from Paris back to the States. She was given an apple onboard, which we she did not consume. Instead, she stuffed it into her bag and attempted to bring it into the U.S. so she could have a snack on her connecting flight.
She was caught and fined $500, even though the apple was wrapped in plastic with a Delta logo on it. Her Global Entry privilege was also revoked.
Unhappy over the situation, Tadlock contacted her Congressman, Ed Perlmutter (D-CO). He told a local Fox affiliate:
It didn’t sound right. It sounded excessive. I found myself kind of offended that there would be a $500 fine for an apple wrapped in plastic from Delta.
Perlmutter “met with a group from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the U.S. Department of Agriculture”. At the conclusion of the meeting, per the Congressman’s request, the fine against Tadlock was dropped. Her Global Entry was also restored.
Tadlock, understandably, was happy. She told Fox 31:
Fight the good fight. Do what you think is right. I got my fine dropped and my Global Entry back. That’s all I wanted and all I asked for.
I’d say it differently. Be thankful for mercy, because you broke the law and deserved to be fined. Next time, follow the rules and there will be no problems.
> Read More: Free Apple on Delta Ends Up Costing $500
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it a matter of not declaring the apple, rather than just “carrying it in”?
Had she declared it, she would have been forced to discard it. Yes, though. Fundamentally, it is a matter of declaration.
completely agreed with you this time. There were no reports of wrongdoing, abuse of power, or excessively rude mannerism of the CBP officer. Every nation is different regarding boarding entry regulations, but the one banning live animals and produce is close to universal, and for seasoned travelers on Global Entry like hers, it shouldn’t have been so unaware (some folks blame it on the kiosk interface design as if people actually read every word on those screens)
But somehow the mob were crying foul on her behalf as if she’s being framed (“because delta wrapped the apple”) and made it sound like CBP were trapping her with selective enforcement some super obscure ordinance.
And now she managed to get away with it instead of learning a proper lesson. (it’s more likely than not she or her confidantes reached out to ABC7 to make a news report on it so they can play the victim card while not sounding like a whiner on twitter)
You worded it perfectly, the ‘mob’ (as soon I begin reading I knew beforehand that the congressman had to be a Democrat) cried foul on her behalf and give her a prize for breaking the law.
What in the hell does political party have to do with it, other than a Congressman looking out for someone in his district. Or, he did it for the publicity and votes. I am a democrat and I disagree with the Congressman. I think the passenger knew what the rules were and chose to ignore them.
I’m Conservative and I’m glad they threw the fine out.
Per the Fox 31 News story:
“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,”
One thing’s for sure, the customs agent was a total dick about it.
Completely disagree with you. The wording around food is very vague, and this was an honest mistake.
The same exact thing happened to us, and the agent let us off with a warning- to me the right thing to do. In this case the agent was choosing to be rude instead of treating it as an education opportunity.
I agree. She obviously wasn’t smuggling a sausage in her socks… She had an apple given to her on a US plane. I’m sure it’s a mistake that happen daily. She asked if she could eat it right there or throw it out. That wasn’t good enough.
The customs guy was just a dick.
There are pictures of apples on the signs.,…………. How is that vague?
No surprise at all the Congressman is a Democrat..
They would never side with enforcing the Law.
You may want to re-check which party has been cutting down the DOJ/FBI/CIA and our nation’s other 3 letter agencies in the law enforcement/intelligence apparatus.
How is it not her fault though? She definitely has to take some blame no matter how you picture it. Before the end of international flights, flight attendants will make the customs announcement and/or show the passengers a video containing the relevant local laws and regulations which include fruits. She has global entry privilege. She should have read the information more carefully and respectfully. At many airports, there are also signs letting you know livestock, vegetables, and fruits are banned. I believe HK allows fruits. Most countries and regions ban it. If all else fails, she could have also asked the flight attendant for more details (their inflight magazine will also detail lots of rules and regulations). She got lucky this time. Good for her. I would say I do not agree with the excessive fee charged, though. In the end, no fine and nothing revoked. Only in America for those who can afford special treatment.
Only in America do you have such dumb laws that you cannot even bring an apple in.
The punishment obviously didn’t fit the crime, especially the revocation of the Global Entry. However, the way she’s gotten on the high moral horse instead of counting her blessings is kind of unnerving. “Fight a good fight,” my ass, she just got lucky that her congressman’s taken the case and helped her. Blaming Delta is also kind of low. It didn’t give you an apple to eat it on the way to Denver, and it had no duty to remind you about your own personal responsibilities.
I’d be curious to know if the apple was put o the plane in France, or was it boarded in the US when the plane flew over to Europe? If so, that would be the height of irony — fined for bringing a US apple to the US.
Oh Bernie. I never thought about that but it is so probable actually!
They should put a warning on the apple.
It was much of a fuss about nothing. In the meantime she was fined for a Delta provided apple, people smuggle all sorts of products without being caught. Perhaps, you should keep your contempt for the good causes. People forget or unaware of. The Global entry orientation interview is a joke.
My guess is that there is a lot more to this story than just her side of it which is the only one we’ve heard. She portrays herself as a sweet innocent victim treated unfairly but a mean rude CBP officer. I’m guessing she was was not quietly and politely passing through security when this happened.