June Armstrong, a 77-year-old woman, faced a 3300 Australian dollars (Rs 1.8 lakh) fine for carrying an untouched chicken sandwich into Australia during her trip from Christchurch, New Zealand, to Brisbane.?
The incident occurred on May 2, as she aimed to spend time with her family. At Christchurch airport, she purchased a muffin and a gluten-free chicken sandwich.
"I sat down and ate some of my muffins, and I really didn¡¯t feel like it, so I threw the rest away, but I put the sandwich in my small backpack. I just clearly forgot. I am very forgetful, but not forgetful enough to be diagnosed with dementia,"?Armstrong said.
The woman had planned to enjoy the chicken sandwich onboard the plane but unintentionally dozed off. Upon arrival in Brisbane, an official discovered the forgotten sandwich in her backpack during the luggage inspection.?
The woman, realizing her lapse, requested that the official discard the sandwich.
"I said, 'Oh, I forgot about that; I¡¯m sorry. Could you throw it away for me?'. He just kept going through my bag,"?she said.
After thoroughly inspecting the woman's bag, the official initially left but returned later, issuing a fine. He stated, "Twelve points, 3300" to the woman. Initially confused, the woman later grasped that she was fined for bringing the sandwich into Australia.
"I was just sobbing and said, '$3300 for a little sandwich?"?she said.
Later, Armstrong called her husband to share the incident.?During the call, a staff member took her phone and assured her that she would soon be released from the airport.?
Although her husband insisted on paying the fine, Armstrong opposed the idea, as she was reluctant to use their pension money for this purpose.
"My husband kept saying, 'Just pay it'. 'It's our pension; we can't afford this,'" she said. Eventually, Armstrong's husband had his way, and they paid the fine.
Later, a spokesperson from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry informed Business Insider that Armstrong could have brought the sandwich into Australia only if she had an import permit. The spokesperson explained that meat has strict import conditions that can change rapidly due to disease outbreaks.
Armstrong, who has been married for 47 years, revealed that she and her husband have around 30,000 New Zealand dollars in savings and pensions.
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