Man Threatened with Fine for Attempting to Reenter the U.S. with This Common Item After Vacation

A man is going viral on social media after revealing that U.S. customs has threatened to issue him a $500 fine for bringing a common household item back from a trip abroad.

In a TikTok video shared on Feb. 16, user Dylan O’Byrne detailed an incident that took place at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City several days prior, all of which stemmed from him placing a banana in his bag.

“I brought an illegal item to the United States the other day, and now I might be banned from Global Entry, and I might be getting a nice size fine in the mail,” the TikToker began his now-viral clip, which has garnered more than 830,000 views on the platform.

According to O’Byrne, he had been visiting southeast Asia with his family and had a layover in Germany before arriving back in the U.S.

“We’re going through customs, you know, normal procedure, nothing crazy, they’re checking over the Visas and everything,” he detailed. “At some point, [a customs officer] is like, ‘Do you have anything to declare, sir?’ And I’m just like, ‘No, nothing to declare.’ ”

O’Byrne shared that he usually has nothing to declare when traveling and thought he was “all set to go,” so he and his parents went to baggage claim to pick up their suitcases. The trio successfully retrieved their luggage and were getting ready to call an Uber when they met with another customs agent, who approached them with a trained dog.

“The dog is sniffing around the bags and everything and the agent is like, ‘How’s it going everybody? Do you have anything to declare? Did you bring anything through that’s a prohibited item or anything?’ ” he recalled of the interaction. “We’re all like, ‘No of course not.’ The dog takes a seat next to my bag. It gives the signal for, ‘Hey I found something.’ I’m like, ‘What could this dog have possibly found?’ ”

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At that point, the agents opened up O’Byrne’s suitcase and immediately found a banana sitting at the top of his belongings, which he held up to the camera for dramatic effect. The customs agent immediately told him that bringing fruit into the U.S. is not allowed.

“I brought a f—— illegal banana into the country,” he said in the TikTok. “I’m all chipper … and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry I forgot about that.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, this is a prohibited item.’ I’m like, ‘I got it in the lounge in Germany, I completely forgot about it.’ ”

According to O’Byrne, the agent immediately asked for his passport and scanned it, telling him that he would be getting a “penalty” for bringing fruit into the U.S.

“And they walk away. Nothing else,’ he recalled. “I’m like, ‘Are they serious? They’re joking, right? It’s a banana.’ Nope, they’re not joking. I looked into it. Even a banana can get you banned from Global Entry and a $500 fine.”

“I guess we’ll find out soon if both of those things happen to me or not,” he finished the two-minute video. “But yeah, don’t bring illegal bananas into the United States. It could be a problem. A $500 problem.”

While O’Byrne’s issue is seemingly an uncommon one, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website states that many agricultural products are prohibited entry into the country because they might be carrying diseases or plant pests. Customs requires that food items like meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, plants or seeds be declared upon entry into the U.S.

“[Undeclared] prohibited agriculture items will be confiscated and can result in the issuance of a civil penalty to the traveler for failure to declare the prohibited item,” the agency states, noting that penalties can range up to $1,000.

For O’Byrne, the way the incident was handled was what gave him pause, as he told Newsweek in an interview on Feb. 28.

“I was rightfully flabbergasted. I know what can and can’t be brought across borders — I’ve traveled my entire life, visited over 20 countries and explored all 50 states thoroughly. But the way this was handled struck me as odd,” he added, acknowledging his mistake.

“If any lawmakers or authorities happen to see this, I would hope they take into account the distinction between an honest mistake and an intentional attempt to circumvent border regulations,” O’Byrne continued to the outlet. “The laws that protect our borders are crucial, but so is applying them with fairness and discretion.”