Australia. Young fined €2.713 after forgetting to declare cassoulet

U29-year-old French ma got a fine of over 2,000 euros about a week ago at Darwin airport in Australia after she forgot to declare a can of cassoulet. 

“ I have just been fined 4,368 dollars (about 2,713 euros) because I forgot to declare the cassoulet at the airport”, Chloé said, in tears, in a video published in his TikTok account, where it is followed by more than 13,000 people. 

Now, in the video published, the young woman says she bought the can of cassoulet – a quick meal that is typical of France – in a supermarket for 1,50 euros. Chloe, who has lived and worked in Australia for half a year, now has 28 days to pay the fine.

“ I never stole it in my life because I want to be an honest citizen. Car trips, Bali and everything, ended”, sorry.

@volimtechloe 28 jours pour payer les temps sont durs #australian #australia #whvaustralia #pvtaustralie #douane Saxophones getting landlord – Sped Up – AntonioVivald

To the French newspaper Le Parisien, Chloé explained that he filled out the form, but “forgot” to mark “yes” in the “quaddinho” of the meat. “The cassoulet had sausage. 4,300 Australian dollars for a sausage!”, he said. 

“It was 4:00 and I had completed 48 hours of flight and made eight flights this week. I was very tired, all I wanted was to go home and I forgot that I had a can of cassoulet in my backpack”, he explained. 

Chlóe also told him that he took the week off to see Bon Jovi's concert in London. Before returning to Australia, the young woman traveled to her home country, where she spent the day. 

“ He wanted to eat cassoulet, bought a can at Lidl for 1.50 euros and thought he would eat in Australia,” he continued, adding that when he passed customs, the agent searched his backpack and found the can. 

“ He asked me what it was and I explained it was a French dish. He asked me if I had meat. I said yes, I was sorry and I forgot to go through customs ", explained. Despite regret, the fine was immediate: EUR 2,713.

Chloe tried, however, to negotiate and wondered whether she could not discreetly mark the “yes” option of the form. The officer refused, explaining that the room had security cameras.

“ My eyes filled with tears, I stood in the corner of the room for 10 minutes with my hands on my waist. And then I cried for hours at the airport”, he said. 

The young French woman, who has 28 days to pay the fine, admitted that she will pay the fine in full to “go ahead”. Nevertheless, he regretted the fact that this situation might compromise his plans, because Chloé moved to Australia with the aim of bringing together some EUR 10,000.

“I wanted extra money for fun, going to Bali, Vietnam, celebrating New Year’s in Sydney. Now, it will be difficult,” he said, adding that it also aims to move to the United States next year. 

Despite the frustration, the French decided to face the situation with another perspective: “Even though I’m very annoying, I tell myself it’s just money and nobody died. I'm alive, I have a job I like, I'm in Australia, life goes on ", said. 

Australia, notice, has biosecurity laws very strict and therefore, before entering the country, travelers must declare everything they take with them. For example, fruits, vegetables, spices, meat, among others, are prohibited to “protect the environment, agriculture, wildlife and the country’s way of life from dangerous diseases, pests and parasites”.