A tourist in Australia was fined for his legal but undeclared purchase: a man had to pay $2,000 for “quite ordinary things.” A substantial fine was paid by a woman who flew from Dubai.
According to The Sun, the incident occurred with a tourist in the port of Brisbane, when a man went ashore from a cruise ship.
Understanding the situation, the publication writes that many countries have strict rules regarding import and export to protect the local habitat. The tourist was convinced of this when, upon arrival in Australia, he was stopped by local authorities.
He was informed that he had broken the law without knowing it. It turned out that it was all about souvenirs. The man bought but did not declare, two types of plants, shells, wooden sticks, and seeds.
For his gaffe, he was fined A$3,300 (more than US$2,000) under the rules of the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
“We don’t want tourists to violate our biosecurity laws. We want all cruise ship passengers to return with great memories, not pests or diseases that can harm Australia’s plants, animals, and agriculture,” the deputy said. Secretary of the Department of Biosafety and Compliance, Dr. Chris Locke.
We add that earlier a similar incident occurred with a woman who paid 1,800 US dollars in Australia when she flew from Dubai to Brisbane. At the border, she was stopped by biosecurity officers because of a straw hat and a bag of makeup wipes. She had to pay money for a chicken sandwich, which she tried to smuggle without a declaration.