Ignorance Of The Law: Woman arrested and fined $500 for possessing an apple

Crystal Tadlock had travelled from France to the US, but little did she know that US border rules required that she had to declare the apple though it was just a gift.

A Colorado woman has expressed grief after she was charged $500 by immigration officials in the US for possessing an apple.

According to UPI.com, Crystal Tadlock had travelled from France to the US, but little did she know that US border rules required that she had to declare the apple though it was just a gift.

On the Delta flight from Paris to Denver, staff of the plane gifted apples to passengers as in-flight snack, but Crystal Tadlock chose to reserve hers to consume later.

Though the apple was still wrapped in a Delta branded pack, officials thought she had breached the immigration rules.

 

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Crystal Tadlock told Fix31-TV that the immigration official “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’”.

She added that: "It's really unfortunate someone has to go through that and be treated like a criminal over a piece of fruit."

The hitherto ignorant passenger blamed the Delta airline for failing to educate its passengers to consume the snacks onboard the flight.

However the airline denied responsibility for Crystal Tadlock’s plight, saying the snack "is given with intention you consume it on board."

In a statement, Delta "encourage customers to follow U.S. Customs and Border Protection protocols.”