An unpleasant surprise awaited a tourist returning from Egypt after landing in Poland. It's all because of the souvenir she brought from her vacation.
During the inspection, the officers discovered that the woman's suitcase contained an item that should not have been there. Now she faces a prison sentence.
Bringing souvenirs from places you've visited to remind you of a time well spent is nothing new. However, not everyone is aware that not everything can be taken and transported to their country.
While magnets, postcards and other gadgets bought in stores or stalls should not be a problem, elements of fauna and flora are prohibited. A woman returning from Egypt found this out.
She brought a souvenir from her vacation and may go to prison
During a routine inspection, officers of the Customs and Tax Service from the Wrocław-Strachowice Airport discovered that her luggage contained a fragment of a coral reef. Due to the fact that the passenger did not previously report the transport of protected species of wild fauna and flora, she will face consequences.
"In the luggage, officers of the Customs and Tax Service from the Customs Department of the Wrocław-Strachowice Airport found an unusual specimen of coral that grew in the yard. The passenger did not present an export permit required by European Union regulations," said Agnieszka Rzeźnicka-Gniadek from the Chamber of Tax Administration in a statement. in Wroclaw.
It turns out that while transporting such a coral, the woman committed several offenses, including illegally transporting the animal to Poland. It is worth adding that the coral found by the officers is protected and is also threatened with extinction.
"Transportation and commercial activity carried out in violation of EU regulations regarding the protection of species of fauna and flora by regulating trade in them is a crime and is punishable by imprisonment from three months to five years (Article 128, points 1 and 2 of the Act of 16 April 2004) on nature protection, Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1336)," can be read on the website of the Lower Silesian Customs and Tax Office in Wrocław.
For breaking the regulations, a traveller may be sentenced to imprisonment from three months to five years.
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This article was originally published on Onet Travel.