A nonsensical $500 fine imposed on a Delta Airlines passenger who brought an apple into the country has been dropped by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
Crystal Tadlock was given the apple by a flight attendant as a snack onboard an inbound flight and decided to eat it later, placing it in her bag.
On arrival from a flight from Paris, Tadlock was checked by a US CBP agent and the forbidden fruit was confiscated.
She was then issued with a fine of $500 for bringing in ‘agricultural produce’
"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 said at the time.
The apple was still displaying a sticker from Delta but that didn’t sway the CBP agent.
Tadlock also had her Global Entry credentials revoked.
After hearing about the story, Congressman Ed Perlmutter swung into action.
He met with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and they agreed to drop the fine and reinstate her Global Entry status.
"It didn’t sound right. It sounded excessive. I found myself kind of offended that there would be a $500 fine for an apple wrapped in plastic from Delta," Perlmutter said.
"When cooler heads prevailed, and when they thought about it for a second, they did the right thing."
