Is that this bananas?
A straightforward travel mistake will likely cost one man quite a bit.
Dylan O’Byrne, a Recent Jersey native who resides in Nashville, was getting back from a visit in Southeast Asia when he unintentionally skirted customs regulations by bringing in an unsuspecting — yet prohibited — item.
His flight from Singapore landed at John F. Kennedy Airport in Recent York, where he went through customs and was asked if he had any items to declare. On the time, he said “no.”
“I never buy anything on trips — perhaps like a trinket or two for friends but nothing I would want to declare — and we go on through,” he said in a viral TikTok video with over 828,000 views.
Then, they went to baggage claim. O’Byrne and his parents were “drained” and thrilled to be back within the States, only to be stopped by Border Patrol agents while attempting to call an Uber.
O’Byrne recalled the police dogs sniffing around his luggage and the officers asking if he brought back anything “prohibited.” After the family’s adamant denial, the dog sat next to O’Byrne’s bag.
“I’m like, ‘What could this dog have possibly found?’” he said.
“A banana.”
The officer didn’t need to look hard for the smuggled fruit — it was sitting right on top of O’Byrne’s bag. He forgot that he snagged the banana within the airport lounge during his layover in Germany to avoid wasting as a snack.
The Border Patrol agents confirmed it was his before scanning his passport and informing him that he would likely face “a penalty.”
“I’m like, ‘Are they serious? They’re joking, right?’” O’Byrne said. “Nope, they’re not joking.”
“I looked into it, and even a banana can get you banned from Global Entry and a $500 high quality,” he added.
On the date of posting last month, O’Byrne didn’t know whether he would actually face a punishment for bringing the prohibited item into the US. The Post has contacted him for comment.
“I used to be rightfully flabbergasted. I do know what can and might’t be brought across borders — I’ve traveled my entire life, visited over 20 countries, and explored all 50 states thoroughly. But the best way this was handled struck me as odd,” he told Newsweek.
In accordance with the US Department of Agriculture, the US prohibits most agricultural products from entering the country attributable to the danger of pests and diseases that might impact the environment within the States.
US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Anthony Bucci told the publication that, while the agency cannot discuss the main points of people’ inspections, “all agricultural items should be declared” and prohibited items are confiscated.
“More importantly, civil penalties could also be assessed for failure to declare prohibited agricultural products and should range as much as $1,000 per first-time offense for noncommercial quantities,” Bucci said. “If the items are determined to be for business use, violations can be assessed at a much-higher rate.”
In accordance with the CBP website, what vegetables and fruit are allowed into the US “will depend on a lot of aspects,” citing an instance within the Eighties when one piece of contaminated fruit brought back to the US spread a fruit fly outbreak that cost tens of millions in clean-up.
The location also warns travelers that failure to declare agricultural items will end in a $300 high quality for first-time offenders, while a second violation will receive a penalty of $500.
“Sometimes you travel for 42 hours, sleep lower than 6, and also you forget,” O’Byrne said within the comments.
TikTokers were quick to tell him that it’s, in truth, a “serious violation,” while others said they “could totally see” how this might occur by innocently snagging a bit of fruit on the airport.
“Fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc., can carry bugs or diseases that may impact our agriculture,” one person commented.
“Almost like [they] inform you 100 times to not bring fruit before you even land,” one other chimed in.
“This just happened to a friend of mine for an orange,” another person said, claiming that the person paid $1,000 in fines.
“In the event you are the kind of one that can’t remember what they’ve or what’s/isn’t allowed just at all times declare,” one user warned. “You may declare snacks after which they may ask follow up questions and check your bag.”
But O’Byrne called on lawmakers and regulators to “take into consideration the excellence between an honest mistake and an intentional try to circumvent border regulations.”
“The laws that protect our borders are crucial, but so is applying them with fairness and discretion,” he told Newsweek.
“I completely respect the necessity for border security, but I also hope there’s room for common sense in how penalties are applied. Laws meant to guard our nation should concentrate on real threats, not travelers who make a minor, unintentional error after 40 hours in transit.”
Is that this bananas?
A straightforward travel mistake will likely cost one man quite a bit.
Dylan O’Byrne, a Recent Jersey native who resides in Nashville, was getting back from a visit in Southeast Asia when he unintentionally skirted customs regulations by bringing in an unsuspecting — yet prohibited — item.
His flight from Singapore landed at John F. Kennedy Airport in Recent York, where he went through customs and was asked if he had any items to declare. On the time, he said “no.”
“I never buy anything on trips — perhaps like a trinket or two for friends but nothing I would want to declare — and we go on through,” he said in a viral TikTok video with over 828,000 views.
Then, they went to baggage claim. O’Byrne and his parents were “drained” and thrilled to be back within the States, only to be stopped by Border Patrol agents while attempting to call an Uber.
O’Byrne recalled the police dogs sniffing around his luggage and the officers asking if he brought back anything “prohibited.” After the family’s adamant denial, the dog sat next to O’Byrne’s bag.
“I’m like, ‘What could this dog have possibly found?’” he said.
“A banana.”
The officer didn’t need to look hard for the smuggled fruit — it was sitting right on top of O’Byrne’s bag. He forgot that he snagged the banana within the airport lounge during his layover in Germany to avoid wasting as a snack.
The Border Patrol agents confirmed it was his before scanning his passport and informing him that he would likely face “a penalty.”
“I’m like, ‘Are they serious? They’re joking, right?’” O’Byrne said. “Nope, they’re not joking.”
“I looked into it, and even a banana can get you banned from Global Entry and a $500 high quality,” he added.
On the date of posting last month, O’Byrne didn’t know whether he would actually face a punishment for bringing the prohibited item into the US. The Post has contacted him for comment.
“I used to be rightfully flabbergasted. I do know what can and might’t be brought across borders — I’ve traveled my entire life, visited over 20 countries, and explored all 50 states thoroughly. But the best way this was handled struck me as odd,” he told Newsweek.
In accordance with the US Department of Agriculture, the US prohibits most agricultural products from entering the country attributable to the danger of pests and diseases that might impact the environment within the States.
US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Anthony Bucci told the publication that, while the agency cannot discuss the main points of people’ inspections, “all agricultural items should be declared” and prohibited items are confiscated.
“More importantly, civil penalties could also be assessed for failure to declare prohibited agricultural products and should range as much as $1,000 per first-time offense for noncommercial quantities,” Bucci said. “If the items are determined to be for business use, violations can be assessed at a much-higher rate.”
In accordance with the CBP website, what vegetables and fruit are allowed into the US “will depend on a lot of aspects,” citing an instance within the Eighties when one piece of contaminated fruit brought back to the US spread a fruit fly outbreak that cost tens of millions in clean-up.
The location also warns travelers that failure to declare agricultural items will end in a $300 high quality for first-time offenders, while a second violation will receive a penalty of $500.
“Sometimes you travel for 42 hours, sleep lower than 6, and also you forget,” O’Byrne said within the comments.
TikTokers were quick to tell him that it’s, in truth, a “serious violation,” while others said they “could totally see” how this might occur by innocently snagging a bit of fruit on the airport.
“Fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc., can carry bugs or diseases that may impact our agriculture,” one person commented.
“Almost like [they] inform you 100 times to not bring fruit before you even land,” one other chimed in.
“This just happened to a friend of mine for an orange,” another person said, claiming that the person paid $1,000 in fines.
“In the event you are the kind of one that can’t remember what they’ve or what’s/isn’t allowed just at all times declare,” one user warned. “You may declare snacks after which they may ask follow up questions and check your bag.”
But O’Byrne called on lawmakers and regulators to “take into consideration the excellence between an honest mistake and an intentional try to circumvent border regulations.”
“The laws that protect our borders are crucial, but so is applying them with fairness and discretion,” he told Newsweek.
“I completely respect the necessity for border security, but I also hope there’s room for common sense in how penalties are applied. Laws meant to guard our nation should concentrate on real threats, not travelers who make a minor, unintentional error after 40 hours in transit.”
