An apple a day keeps the doctor away — too bad the fruit doesn’t have the same effect on security dogs at TSA.
Dina, a travel influencer, was temporarily detained by US Customs and Border Protection officials and in danger of being slapped with over $800 in fines after a K9 police pooch smelled the undeclared produce she’d accidentally packed away in her carry-on following an overseas trip to the Netherlands.
“Don’t make this mistake!” urged Dina, from North Carolina, in the caption of her cautionary TikTok clip with over 777,000 views. “I was standing there waiting for my luggage, and a Customs & Border Control Officer came up to me, saying the K9 was smelling food and asking me if I had anything.”
“Shoot…I forgot I had an apple on me from Amsterdam that I was supposed to declare at customs,” wrote the pro globetrotter with Global Entry — a privileged status that expedites the border crossing process for pre-approved passengers.
“They took my passport and went through all my bags,” Dina lamented.
She claims officers told her that if she’d lied about the apple, she would have been slammed with a $300 penalty, as well as an additional $500 fee for breaking airport rules as a Global Entry traveler.
So if you’re thinking of snacking on a crisp, juicy goody before an international flight, you’re barking up the wrong tree, pal.
“The United States restricts or prohibits the entry of many agricultural products, which can carry foreign pests and diseases that harm American agriculture and our environment,” per a recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“Travelers entering the United States must declare all agricultural or wildlife products to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials,” the authorities advised. “You must also tell them if you visited a farm or were in contact with animals before traveling to the United States.”
Customs and Border Protections echo similar sentiments on its site.
The powers that be encourage jet-setters to declare fruits and vegetables, plants and cut flowers, meat and animal products, and live animals before going through security checkpoints.
“Undeclared prohibited agriculture items will be confiscated and can result in the issuance of a civil penalty to the traveler for failure to declare the prohibited item,” warns the agency.
Dylan O’Byrne, a New Jersey native now living in Nashville, learned just how strict the government is about its foreign foods rules, when he was threatened with $500 fine for carrying a banana through customs after a recent trip to Singapore.
Suri Steinberger, a mom of two, feared she’d be handcuffed after airport law enforcement swooped down on her for packing an apple, tomato and three cucumbers in her kids’ lunch bags for a flight from Israel to Newark, NJ.
Rather than getting tossed in jail for the crime, the mother was slapped with a $300 fine.
Luckily, Dina was let off the hook with nothing more than a stern warning.
However, to aid her fellow frequent flyers in avoiding hefty damages, she offered a word-to-the-wise tip to online audiences.
“Be sure to declare these on arrival,” Dina wrote beneath her trending post, listing, ”Purchases over $800,” “Cash including travelers checks over $10,000,” and “ALL food, plants, and animal products.”
“Check the full restricted [and] prohibited items list to be safe at (http:// cbp.gov/).”
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