Plant cuttings disguised as botox, tea and seafood have cost four travellers entering Australia $22,000 in fines.
The passengers were each issued with maximum fines of $5,500 after separately attempting to breach Australia’s biosecurity border control in a five-day period in May.
A traveller from Sri Lanka attempted to hide plant cuttings in their luggage, which also included bananas and flour, when arriving at Sydney Airport on May 16.
The same day, a passenger arriving in Brisbane from the Philippines was caught bringing macadamia plants, cotton tree seeds and mango.
Two days later someone travelling from Vietnam arrived at Melbourne Airport with plant cuttings hidden in a box labelled as carrying botox.
Then on May 20, a traveller arriving in Brisbane from Vietnam, was found with nine plant cuttings in an unopened bag labelled as tea.
The plant cuttings have since been destroyed.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said the plants could have carried a number of diseases, such as xylella.
“The fact that people aren’t declaring products and are intentionally trying to smuggle biosecurity risk material in Australia is completely unacceptable,” Deputy Secretary, Biosecurity and Compliance Dr Chris Locke said.
Dr Locke said all four concealments were intentionally hidden in creative ways. He called for any passengers unsure about biosecurity risks to speak up when entering Australia and completing the incoming passenger card.