Travel influncer Lays Laraya, known as @skywardsfreak on Instagram,
faced an unexpected ordeal upon arriving in Australia from Qatar. Laraya
was gifted a rose by a Qatar Airways crew member as a token of
appreciation for her notes to the airline's staff. However, her innocent
act of carrying the rose openly through Perth Airport led to a
confrontation with Australian officials.
Randomly screened by plainclothes officers, Laraya was asked to
account for the rose while completing her incoming passenger card. She
admitted that she hadn't considered the rose a plant, marking "no" in
response to the question about plant transportation. After a series of
inquiries and luggage inspection, officials confronted Laraya with her
passenger card and the rose.
The rose that was gifted to Laraya by a Qatar crew member. Photo Credit: Lays Laraya
Realising her mistake, Laraya acknowledged that the rose could be
classified as a plant. Consequently, she was fined AU$1,878 (US$1,200)
for knowingly providing false information under Australia's Biosecurity
Act. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry explained
that fines escalate when travellers fail to declare items with a high
biosecurity risk.
Australia's stringent biosecurity measures consider flowers a
potential carrier of mites, aphids, and thrips. Despite acknowledging
the necessity of these regulations, Laraya is appealing the fine,
feeling it's disproportionate. She noted that others facing similar
situations received warnings, though the department clarified that
warnings are case-dependent, considering factors like language barriers.
Officials returned the rose to Laraya after inspection, after cutting
off its stem. This precaution is standard procedure once biosecurity
requirements are met. Reflecting on the incident, Laraya expressed how
her trust in Australia's approach has been shaken, leaving her uncertain
about future visits. Her experience serves as a reminder of the
unforeseen consequences even innocuous actions can bring during
international travel, and travellers should be reminded about
regulations to avoid such mishaps.