Crime & Safety
2 Bay Area Women Charged With Importing Infested Fruit: DA
Prosecutors allege the defendants planned to ship fruit from Vietnam in 2022 and misidentified the shipment as dried fish, coffee or tea.
SAN JOSE, CA — Two San Jose women were charged with felonies for allegedly illegally importing tropical fruit infested with fruit flies, announced the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office on Thursday.
The proceeding marks the office's first felony prosecution related to illegally importing fruit.
Hanh Hong Huynh, 42, and Thanh Tuyen Huynh, 36, are charged with conspiracy to import and sell fruit in violation of federal and state agricultural laws.
"This is serious and reckless behavior. If they spread, these flies can destroy crops. This County's farms and everybody's food prices are at stake," said District Attorney Jeff Rosen.
Find out what's happening in Los Gatosfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Rosen alleged that the defendants planned to ship fruit from Vietnam in 2022 and misidentified the shipment as dried fish, coffee or tea to "avoid inspection."
Local officials allegedly warned Thanh Tuyen Huynh to stop selling illegal fruit like langsat, yet she continued to sell fruit on social media.
Find out what's happening in Los Gatosfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Rosen alleged that the fruit was seized, tested and found to be infested with larvae of a harmful fruit fly found in Southeast Asia.
Rosen alleged that Hanh sent a relative to pick up 200 pounds of langsat at a shipping facility in May 2022, which was labeled as dried fish, coffee and tea. The package was addressed to her business, Tracy's Gift Shop in East San Jose.
Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
