June Armstrong, a 77-year-old woman, faced a fine of A$3,300 (Rs 1.8 lakh) for bringing an untouched chicken sandwich to Australia during her trip from Christchurch, New Zealand, to Brisbane.
Jump to
- When did the incident occur?
- What did Australian Customs do?
- How did the woman pay the fine?
When did the incident occur?
The incident occurred on May 2, when he was trying to spend time with his family. At Christchurch airport, she bought a gluten-free bun and chicken sandwich.
“I sat down and ate some of my muffins, and I didn’t really feel like it, so I threw the rest away, but I put the sandwich in my small backpack. I clearly forgot. I’m very forgetful, but not forgetful enough to be diagnosed with dementia “, Armstrong said.
What did Australian Customs do?
The woman had planned to enjoy the chicken sandwich on board the plane, but accidentally fell asleep. Upon arriving in Brisbane, an official discovered the sandwich forgotten in her backpack during luggage screening.
The woman, realizing her mistake, asked the official to throw away the sandwich.
“I said, ‘Oh, I forgot about that; I’m sorry. Could you put it in the trash for me?’ He kept going through my bag.” she said.
After thoroughly inspecting the woman’s purse, the officer initially left but returned later and issued her with a fine. He told the woman: “Twelve points, 3300.” Initially confused, the woman later realized she had been fined for bringing the sandwich into Australia.
“I was sobbing and said, ‘$3,300 for a little sandwich?’ she said.
Armstrong later called her husband to tell him about the incident. During the call, a member of her staff took her phone and assured her that she would be released from the airport soon.
How did the woman pay the fine?
Although her husband insisted on paying the fine, Armstrong opposed the idea, as she was reluctant to use her pension money for this purpose.
unpack
“My husband kept saying, ‘Pay it.’ ‘It’s our pension; we can’t afford this.'” she said. Ultimately, Armstrong’s husband got his way and they paid the fine.
A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry later told Business Insider that Armstrong could have brought the sandwich to Australia only if he had an import permit. The spokesperson explained that the meat has strict import conditions that can change quickly due to disease outbreaks.
Armstrong, who has been married for 47 years, revealed that she and her husband have around NZ$30,000 in savings and pensions.
For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn