The economy is no longer what it once was. We’ve all heard our parents reminisce about those glory days when you could basically buy the Taj Mahal with a hundred bucks. And as someone desperately trying to be an adult, I can vouch for the fact that today, buying even basic groceries is something that reminds us of the sad state of our bank balance.
But even I would’ve never in a million years dreamt that an apple could someday cost almost ₹ 35K. And no, I’m not talking about the phone.
Ridiculously enough, that is exactly what happened to Crystal Tadlock as she was travelling from Paris, France to Minneapolis, USA. She was fined approximately ₹ 33,000 by US Customs and Border Patrol for an apple she had carried with her.
According to Fox News, Crystal received the apple toward the end of her flight from Paris when flight attendants passed out apples in plastic bags as a snack. As she wasn’t hungry at the time, she had put the fruit in her carry-on to save for the second leg of her trip.
Upon arrival in the U.S., while going through Customs, Crytal’s bag was chosen at random for searching. She says a customs official pulled out the apple in the plastic bag with Delta’s logo on it.
Despite her attempts to explain how she had come in possession of the undeclared apple, the customs official allegedly told her no and fined her $500 (approx. ₹33,000) for carrying the undeclared fruit.
Speaking of the incident, Crystal says:
“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.”
In addition to the fine, her Global Entry Status, which allows pre-approved, low-risk travellers to have expedited clearance into the U.S., has also been revoked. And to add insult to injury, she will be searched every time she takes a flight from now on.
The plastic bag in which she was handed the fruit declares ‘enjoy’ in bold letters. The irony was not lost on Crystal who posted about her disappointment on Twitter:
False. I did not enjoy the apple. Instead I received a $500 violation, had my global entry revoked (first time I’ve used it) AND I will be searched on every flight for the rest of my life 🚩#deltaforbiddenfruit #crystaltadlock #delta #applegate pic.twitter.com/ysGfTguppG
— VeganQuesoHead (@VeganQuesoHead) April 22, 2018
Yep, Two main points:
The problem is inconsistency with customs. I know multiple people that were given the opportunity to throw fruit or other items away & proceed on with their lives.
Also why is Delta handing out fruit that will not pass customs minutes later? #applegate https://t.co/iD1OiP4Ot5— VeganQuesoHead (@VeganQuesoHead) April 22, 2018
Twitterati agreed with Crystal on the incident, with many raising eyebrows at the severity of punishment for what’s an honest mistake at max.
1. Yikes!
How do you like them apples! Yikes! https://t.co/xASu391aDI
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) April 22, 2018
2. Nope, it doesn’t.
An apple a day doesn’t keep the Custom’s Officer away!
— Morton Levitt ♦️ (@levitm1) April 23, 2018
3. One. Lousy. Apple.
Oh, big, bad custom agent. For crying out loud; it was a lousy Delta apple. The agent should be fined $500 for being inhuman.
— Craig fenimore (@jcfeni_craig) April 23, 2018
This has honestly got to be the costliest apple ever to grow on earth. I hope it at least tasted good, for all it’s worth. Talk about badhti hui mehangai!