Santo Domingo, DR—The Minister of Agriculture confirmed the seizure of fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs from Spanish artist Julio Iglesias at the Punta Cana International Airport (east of the country).
Limber Cruz López, head of the entity, explained that the seizure of the musician’s food is by “a control and surveillance that we have throughout the national territory.”
“We have an alert and we have a very strong surveillance throughout the national territory. You know that there was a sporadic incursion of the Mediterranean fruit fly (agricultural pest),” said Cruz López.
He said they have had to reinforce “all the vigilance, and it is not focused on him or anybody in specific; it pertains to everybody.”
“We are strengthening everything a country has to do to protect itself. Remember that we are an open and free country, with more than 400 flights a day, eight airports, many ships coming and going,” the official said.
Seizure
According to Agriculture, 42.16 kilograms of strawberries, raspberries, blueberry, cherry, tomato, beet, celery, beans, spinach, lettuce, mushrooms, and arugula, intended for transit to the Dominican Republic, were intercepted in the luggage.
The passenger was caught with the cargo from the Bahamas on flight number N768JJ when he tried to carry the seized stash in his luggage.
Engineer Rosa Lazala, Director of Plant Health, speaking through the Department of Agriculture Communications, explained that the country’s Health and Quarantine technicians reinforced the surveillance and inspection, pre-checking, and checking of luggage and all passengers.