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Swank fined |
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Two-time Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank has been fined for breaching New Zealand's strict quarantine laws when she failed to declare an apple and an orange while arriving at an airport on January 15 on a flight from Los Angeles. The Manukau District Court on Wednesday advised the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry that Swank's appeal had been rejected and that she had been fined NZ$200 ($142) plus costs of NZ$30 ($21).
Swank, winner of the Best Actress Oscar for her role as a boxer in Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby," had written to the ministry seeking a court hearing to have her fine expunged.
"After my 20-hour flight I simply forgot I had one orange and one apple. I do apologize sincerely," she said in her handwritten letter.
The ministry noted that all international travelers are obliged to declare all foodstuffs they may be carrying when entering New Zealand.
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