Woman fined £1,533 for flying to Australia with Subway sandwich

The fast-food giant have since been in touch with the woman and sent her a surprise gift

Jessica Lee was issued the fine for failing to declare the chicken and lettuce in her sandwich (Getty Images)

An Australian woman was fined $2,664 AUD (£1,533) for failing to declare a Subway sandwich at the airport.

Jessica Lee, from Perth, revealed on TikTok on 1 July that she received the fine after returning to Australia from Singapore with the sub.

Ms Lee said she bought the foot-long sandwich after customs at Singapore Airport, where she ate half of it but saved the rest for her flight.

She didn’t eat the rest of it and was caught by Australian customs officers for failing to declare the chicken and lettuce in the sandwich.

In her video, Ms Lee said the simple mistake has come at the worst possible time as she’s currently unemployed and struggling to pay rent.

“It is my mistake but, like, I bought a foot-long Subway at Singapore Airport because I was a hungry girl after my 11 hour flight,” she said.

“I ate six inches before my second flight and then saved the other six inches for the flight which they’re more than happy with.

“I thought the little declaration thing you do is for your carry-ons and your luggage, so I didn’t tick chicken and I didn’t tick lettuce. Chicken and lettuce!”

Ms Lee said she has just 28 days to pay the fine, which won’t be easy for her.

“I quit my job before this trip, and I have rent to pay,” she concluded.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry issues fines to travellers who breach the Biosecurity Act by failing to declare restricted items.

Due to Ms Lee’s failure to declare her sandwich on her Incoming Passenger Card, she was considered to have broken the law.

Sometimes international travellers are let off with a warning, but Ms Lee said she was going to have to pay the fine as she didn’t face a language barrier.

However, in a later update, Ms Lee revealed she has since received a surprising gift from the fast-food giant responsible for her inflight snack.

On Tuesday, she told TikTok followers that Subway had given her a gift card worth the same amount as her fine.

“Subway makes my fine worth every single cent,” Ms Lee said in the video. “Looking at postives over negatives always pays off.”