Model Jessica Lee recently posted an emotional TikTok video explaining that she just had a minor snack-related international incident and had been fined by the Australian government.
The fine is so high and due so soon that it's likely to leave her homeless, or at the very least a month behind on rent.
Assuming, of course, she can pay rent or the fine at all—which might be difficult considering she doesn't have a job since she literally just landed back in the country.
The major and potentially life-altering crime she committed? Jessica forgot to finish her sandwich.
She's not a drug smuggler, just hungry.
When given a customs form, she didn't know that she needed to declare the individual contents of her half-eaten sandwich.
Rather than giving her a warning, explaining the intricacies of customs declarations, or even having her just finish the sandwich before she left the customs area, agents opted to fine her.
The fine is almost three thousand dollars and she has less than a month to pay it.
She did try to have the fine reduced or payments adjusted, but the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry wasn't having it.
Jess says she will be held to the fine and timeline because she speaks English. The government tends to give accommodations where there is a language barrier, but that's not the case for Jess.
As she explained in the video, she stopped by the Subway and purchased a footlong chicken sandwich in Singapore. She had just come off an 11-hour flight and was hungry, so the plan was to eat half at the airport and then the other half during her second flight, which landed her back in Australia.
But she didn't end up finishing that sandwich.
When she was given her customs form she filled it out in the way she thought she was supposed to, by declaring the items in her carry-on and her checked luggage.
There was no language barrier, she just didn't understand the customs process enough to know that she had to declare the contents of that half-sandwich individually.
Since she didn't know, she didn't check the boxes for chicken or lettuce.
The $2664 fine must be paid in full within 28 days.
Is there a word for "not exactly surprised, but definitely dissappointed and moderately annoyed?" If there is, that's what best describes TikTok right now.
Since there isn't, we'll just say TikTok has a serious case of the WTFs about it.
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Not all heroes wear capes, some prefer aprons. It looks like Jessica might get some help from an interesting place.
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Does this fine and timeline seem reasonable to you? Have you made a similar mistake?
Tell us about it.
@realcopeaganda/X