Florida Family "Traumatized" By $300 Fine For Bringing Produce Through Newark Airport Customs

(CBS 2)

A Florida family is "fuming" over a $300 fine they received after they got caught bringing an apple, a tomato, and three cucumbers from Israel through Newark Liberty Airport on Thursday. CBS 2 reports that Suri and Peter Steinberger are "livid" over the incident, which they chalk up to an honest mistake. When preparing for the long flight home from Israel, Mrs. Steinberger put the produce into her son's backpack as a snack, reasoning, "Let them eat it on the plane instead of eating garbage." But she didn't tell her husband about it, and for some mysterious reason the boys never ate those raw cucumbers or the fruit!

Peter Steinberger didn't declare the vegetables, which violate U.S. Customs strict laws intended to maintain “agricultural integrity." Steinberger tells CBS 2, "You’re coming off a flight after 19 hours. You’re all flustered. You don’t know what world you’re on. The first thing on your mind isn’t vegetables in your backpack."

They intend to fight the fine, and hope that all the media attention will be of service to other travelers going through Customs with good intentions but an indignant ignorance of the law. "I don’t have to be traumatized like this," says Suri, who wept during the incident. "Nobody should have to be traumatized." Oh, the humanity! Perhaps the only silver lining in this tragic tale is that the kids at least got out of having to eat the veggies.

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By John Del Signore in Food on August 12, 2011 12:15 PM

Comments [rss]

Mims

She didn't tell her husband about it? I don't think the cucumbers were meant for the kids. The apple and tomato maybe but not the cucumbers.

Pheena

These people are fu*king idiots. What the hell do you expect you lied on a federal agreement. You should just be happy you aren't in jail, because it's a federal offense to lie on a federal document. How would you feel if your vegetables were contaminated by a parasite that isn't in America and destroyed large amounts of crops, you'd end up paying more than 300 dollars.

AQ

These people are stupid and entitled. There are REASONS why there are vegetable and fruit questions on the customs forms--IT IS TO PROTECT OUR AGRICULTURE (broken though it is). The Mediterranean fruit fly, which threatened to cause millions of dollars in damage to California fruit and vegetable crops back in the late 80s, was brought into the US by a tourist who, like these morons, decided to be cute and smuggle in some fruit from out of the country. I have no sympathy for them whatsoever--they tried to smuggle in something from out of the country and got caught. They need to suck it up and pay the fine.

Szostakowski

What amazes me most about this story is, how quick customs are able to rectify a possible ecological threat from other countries, and how slow the USDA is in testing and labeling GMO's.

giginyc

They "hope that all the media attention will be of service to other travelers
going through Customs with good intentions but an indignant ignorance of
the law" -- Was this their FIRST time to Israel? Or the FIRST time she got caught? Customs makes their rules loud and clear several times from country to country. It is ILLEGAL to SMUGGLE fruits and vegetables from countries foreign to each other. Even places like Hawaii to the mainland US and vice versa, or US and Canada. Why does "agricultural integrity" need to be in quotes? It is what it is. They wanted media attention? PAY THE FINE!

robingee

Kids love whole tomatoes as a tasty healthy snack!

callmeL

This woman gave her kids uncut vegetables to eat on the plane trip?

Woman is neurotic and crazy - talk about an overactive imagination and victim complex.

the CBS article states

“For me it was like, you know, what you see on TV. I thought I was going
to get handcuffed, they have my kids. So I just started to cry,” Suri
Steinberger said.

HudsonJoe

Unless they were mistreated in someway not mentioned hear they should be fined $300,000 for complaining about this. THEY WERE JUST PLAIN WRONG.

petey2

I'm sure they won't "forget" to declare anything again in the future.

whitecastlerock

they make you eat garbage on planes these days?

MattyGC

she packed them as a lunch? yeah right...what was she going to do? just start hacking up three cucumbers and a whole tomato with a plastic airline spork? This woman obviously wanted to plant the seeds in her garden. She should be fined.

Travlnbard

I am always suspicious of people who have their face half covered by their hair.

OregonWiseGuy

I say they should be banned for life from flying - give them the same punishment that beer and RedBull thief from Fairway received. Enough with the righteous indignation folks - you did something wrong (whether you know it or admit it or not), stop being self-important dicks, own up, apologize and try to correct it. Why does everyone think the world owes them something.

Sara Fine

i may be traumatized by the way this woman pronounces traumatize.

Macfinger

yeah - and that hair ... it's almost punk ! ~ ugh !

jaycjay

"Customs did say it’s up to the discretion of the officer to “destroy” the product or “fine the traveler,” discretion this family said was sorely missing given the Customs sheet showing the prohibited items and their $300 fine."

Gee, I wonder why a Customs officer decided to deal with these particular people more strictly than with some other people...

LtWorf

Customs officers can tend to discriminate against certain groups (For actually good reasons), but If they're in a bad mood, they'll take out their anger on everybody.

Judging by the 'outrage' these people were showing from getting fined, the customs officer chose wisely.