Salami stuffed in luggage puts bite on wallet

PERTH, Australia – Customs officials in Australia are serious about the country’s quarantine laws – and that’s no baloney.

A Swiss national discovered that when he was caught at Perth International Airport trying to smuggle a salami in his luggage. Dylan Pascal Graves, who was studying English in Western Australia state, was fined $3,057 at the Perth Magistrates Court.

Australia has strict quarantine laws, and customs officials inspect all incoming flights for agricultural pests and food that could carry diseases. Sniffer dogs patrol airport terminals and luggage is passed through X-ray machines.

Graves twice told customs officials in November that he was not carrying any food, but an X-ray revealed salami meat concealed in his luggage. When asked why he had not declared the salami, Graves said he had planned to eat it.