Next time you fly into Australia or any other foreign countries, make sure to read the fine print of what goods are allowed in and which ones could get you into trouble, because even a humble McDonald’s sandwich can get you a serious fine, as it happened earlier this summer.
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As reported by People, an unnamed passenger was accosted by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as they flew into the country, and fined an eye-watering 2,664 Australian dollars ($1,874 in U.S. currency) because they were carrying some contraband items in their luggage.
The items in question: a ham croissant and two egg and beef sausage McMuffins from a McDonald's.
Australia's new biosecurity regulations
The passenger was flying in from Bali, where they purchased the items, to Australia’s Darwin airport. The airport staff found the banned products courtesy of the service-trained airport dog Zinta, who sniffed it out of the luggage.
The unsuspecting passenger had to endure the hefty fine due to a new biosecurity regulation that had been put in place in Australia. Biosecurity measures ban certain foreign foods, plant materials and animal products to protect native environment, agriculture and economy.
The new measures were set to prevent Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) which was spreading in Indonesia, including Bali. People quoted Minister Murray Watt of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who said in a statement,
This will be the most expensive [McDonald's] meal this passenger ever has, this fine is twice the cost of an airfare to Bali, but I have no sympathy for people who choose to disobey Australia's strict biosecurity measures, and recent detections show you will be caught.
A similar case had happened earlier in Australia
There have been cases of other travellers who have met the same fate in Australia. As reported by Washington Post, earlier this year a woman was fined $1,844 for half a Subway sandwich that she did not report in Australia, where she landed in from Singapore. She had simply forgotten she had it in her bag but had to pay a hefty price for her mistake.
The report also stated that Australia is very thorough in enforcing its biosecurity laws which emerge from Australia’s Biosecurity Act, which ensures that Australia’s wildlife can be kept safe from invasive species, pests, disease and epidemics from outside which can wreak havoc on its rich and diverse natural environment.
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