customs problem advice please
 

Please give me some helpful advise please. I am in a depression. I have traveled to U.S.A 3 months back. I am an Asian. When I was coming through the customs they checked my baggage. They found some partially dried leaves some cut vegetables. They fined me $100. When was coming here my parents packed my suitcases when I was doing my last minute shopping. They packed all these restricted food stuff. When I got here customs people asked me If I had any agriculture products I was so tired that time I dont even remember what I told them(I was not in a position to leave my parents because my had a minor heart attack I was in so much pain). It looks like I told them that I dont have anything . Then I paid fine. I dont have a problem to pay fine. Only thing I am worried is Is it going to be in my records forever.I never did any mistakes in my life. This one is haunting me like anything. I am not able to overcome it. That too they took my kids passports also. My kids would get into any problem in future? I am in so depression thinking that their future got ruined because of me. I dont know whom to share this thing. I sit and assume so many bad things would happend to me and my kids in the future. I am a very sensitive person. I never did any harm to anybody and harsh talk to anybody. When told my friend what happend to me in the customs they think that I did a biggest crime. Is this that big issue to get worry everyday? Or this is like speeding ticket kind of fine? I know I heard stories that people bring their local grown vegetable seeds to U.S. I never did that and wont do also. Please give me some advice. I am thinking about this everyday and crying. I can't get over it.Thank you very much for any suggessions.

I would write to US Customs at their customer service address, explain the situation as you stated here, and ask them what you are asking us. If you do this, you may want to have an American friend look over your letter or email and 'Americanize' your English. This would probably make it a little clearer for the person reading it. I think you would probably get a reasonable answer in return, and then you would know. Alternatively, you could contact a US lawyer who specializes in Immigration and ask them for their advice.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/questions/
The address and phone number is on the bottom of the page.

Welcome to Flyertalk. I can't imagine that if you explain to customs what happened that they will hold this against you forever. Tell them just what you said here. I think you explained yourself very well. Accidents happen and they will know this after you contact them. I can hardly believe that a few dry leaves and some cut vegetables will permanantly scar your record.

Don't worry so much. It will work out the way it's supposed to. Don't cry everyday. You are not a bad person because this happened. Your mom made a mistake. It's not your fault. They will see this.

I hope you write to them soon. You will feel better after you do. They are not going to arrest you or anything. Please let me know what happens and best of luck to you.

One simple thing. Mark "yes" on the food when your parents put stuff in that shouldn't be there. You'll be searched, they'll take it, no problem. If you declare it and tell the truth there's no penalty beyond losing the stuff.

It's over. It's not a big enough issue to keep worrying about everyday, and it's not going to effect your children, just don't make the same mistake again. Since you are a very sensitive person, I am sure you would not want to risk causing a problem for American farmers or to accidently cause them harm. Certainly you understand that the US officials must take care not to let plant and soil diseases inadvertantly enter the country.

(Yes, the chance of a problem is small, but of all the customs rules in place, this is actually one that I support because I find it more sensible than many of the other rules.)

Its true that the chance of a problem is small, but the potential damage to farmers and the environment is very serious.

I'm surprised that OP was fined. I've heard about similar incidents where the
person was made to throw away the stuff, but getting fined is a rare thing.

Which airport was it?

I'm curious about which airport this happened at as well.

I wouldn't worry about it.

If the passenger fails to declare a prohibited agricultural product both on their declaration and orally, then a $100 fine is typical for the first offense. Happens quite a bit, actually. If the food is physically concealed or the passenger has done it before, the fine goes up from there.

Chances are it won't keep you out of the US in the future.

But... any appeals process that the Customs Service has is pretty cumbersome. They double-billed me duty on some artwork (that was shipped in two boxes) that I brought back from the UK one time. It took a couple of months to get it resolved, but I eventually got the improperly charged money back. I did copy my elected representative on the correspondance.

As for any future entries into the US, I sat on one international flight next to a gentleman who ended up with a black mark in his Immigration record after getting caught bringing Cuban cigars into the US from Europe. The computer flag caused him to be sent for secondary on every entry to the US from then on. The flight we were on was his 20th since the incident, and it was the 20th time he was sent to secondary.