- Joined
- Sep 28, 2010
So there I was watching some early morning TV, this time of day customs related genres are very popular, anyway`s I was watching the New Zealand based one - Passport Control. A plane had just landed from L.A. and as the passengers were leaving the plane they were offered an apple in a sealed bag each, everyone whom accepted this and did not think of declaring it (and there was loads of them) were hit with a fine of $200 each as they entered the passport control section, in their defence and rightly so the average passenger`s pleas to this was...
`Why the hell did they give us the fruit knowing full well, that at the very least it would be confiscated as soon as we entered customs?`.
Now i`m all for each and every product entering a new country to be subjected to some strict quarantine procedures, but, come on, these fines when issued, are issued entirely due to the custom officer`s discretion, there was no hidden agenda here, just a lot of travel weary passengers not even thinking that these would be considered illegal contraband as they were given by the planes crew, tbh I was gob-smacked enough to make a thread here about it lol.
On the other hand I have watched several episodes of Nothing To Declare (Australia), where many passengers deemed to have made genuine mistakes with none declared food items, have escaped with nothing more than a caution.
`Why the hell did they give us the fruit knowing full well, that at the very least it would be confiscated as soon as we entered customs?`.
Now i`m all for each and every product entering a new country to be subjected to some strict quarantine procedures, but, come on, these fines when issued, are issued entirely due to the custom officer`s discretion, there was no hidden agenda here, just a lot of travel weary passengers not even thinking that these would be considered illegal contraband as they were given by the planes crew, tbh I was gob-smacked enough to make a thread here about it lol.
On the other hand I have watched several episodes of Nothing To Declare (Australia), where many passengers deemed to have made genuine mistakes with none declared food items, have escaped with nothing more than a caution.
Last edited:
.
Especially if they've done this trip a number of times.
.


