Model fined Rs. 1.43 lakhs at the airport for carrying a Subway sandwich

When model Jessica Lee bought a 12-inch Subway sandwich at the Singapore airport, she wouldn’t have known that it was about to cost her a whopping Rs. 1.43 lakhs. The 19-year-old model was travelling from Europe to Australia when she was fined for not disclosing the half-eaten sandwich when she arrived at her destination.

As she landed in Australia, the airport customs fined her $2,664 AUD, equivalent to about Rs.1,43,000, for not disclosing her sandwich. The dejected model could only complete half of her sandwich during the 11-hour flight, for which she now has to pay within 28 days. The Australian model posted a video on her Instagram account narrating the whole incident.

In the video, Jessica says that she had quit her job recently and was worried about how she would pay her rent with such a huge fine pending on her. The model can be seen taking ownership of the mistake she had made and that she would be paying the fine. She also urged her fans not to copy her mistake.


The flight journey from Europe to Australia is a very long one, especially when it takes a stop in between. Passengers are bound to get hungry and grab something to eat from joints like Subway or Domino’s at the airports. However, Australian authorities require you to declare eatables you’re carrying with you, which include chicken and vegetables.

As per the custom rules, flight passengers have to declare the luggage they carry. Jessica said that she felt that the declaration was only for the luggage and carry-ons, which is why she did not choose chicken and lettuce in the declaration form. This supposed negligence on her part made the Subway sandwich ‘too costly’ for her.

As the bizarre news went viral, waves of reaction started to pour in. While some netizens felt the model should have been more careful and aware of the customs rules of her home country, many opined that Jessica should’ve been given a stern warning instead of imposing such a huge fine.