by Nick Givas
A Delta Air Lines customer was hit with a $500 fine from customs, for saving an apple she’d received on her flight from Paris back to the United States.
Crystal Tadlock from Arvada, Colo., said a flight attendant gave her the apple in a plastic bag. She wasn’t hungry, but decided to save it in her bag for later, Fox31 Denver reported.
When she went through customs her bag was searched and the apple was discovered. Taldock explained the situation and asked if she could eat it or throw it out, but she was told “no.”
Customs then handed her a $500 fine for possessing the apple.
“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,’” Tadlock told Fox31.
Part of the blame should fall on Delta for not reminding passengers they couldn’t take fruit off the plane, she said. She thinks it’s ridiculous that she was ticketed when the apple was clearly from Delta Air Lines.
“It’s really unfortunate someone has to go through that and be treated like a criminal over a piece of fruit,” Tadlock told Fox31.
“We encourage our customers to follow U.S. Customs and Border Protection protocols,” a Delta spokesman said.
Tadlock plans to fight the ticket in court in front of a judge and hopes to have it overturned.
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Nick Gavas is a reporter at The Daily Caller News Foundation. You can Follow Nick on Twitter and Facebook.
What a jerk Customs Officer. This same thing happened to me travelling in the Caribbean. I had taken a fruit from the morning bfst to eat on the plane. As I was going thru screening they found it. They politely explained why I couldnt keep it and took it from me. That was all–a $500 fine? That is someone mad with their own power who has no business being in that kind of position