San Jose woman sent to jail for selling infested tropical fruit

(KRON) — A San Jose woman was sentenced this week to serve three months in jail for illegally importing tropical fruit from Vietnam that was infested with fruit flies, prosecutors said.

Hanh Hong Huynh, 43, was convicted of conspiracy to import and sell fruit in violation of federal and state agricultural laws.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said, “Santa Clara County's still-thriving agriculture must be protected. This Office advocates for our orchards, farms, and the bountiful food they produce.”

The woman’s co-defendant, Thanh Tuyen Huynh, 38, previously pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy and was sentenced to community service.

Fruit imported from outside of the United States must be inspected by agricultural officials because it may be infested with invasive foreign pests like fruit flies. In 2022, the defendants had the fruit shipped from Vietnam and misidentified it as “coffee”, or “tea,” to avoid inspection.

Local officials ordered Thanh Tuyen Huynh to stop selling illegal fruit, including langsat, in the Bay Area. Langsat is a sweet and juicy tropical fruit grown in Vietnam.

“Yet she continued to advertise on social media and sell the fruit, some of which was seized, tested, and found to be heavily infested with the larvae of a destructive fruit fly endemic to Southeast Asia,” the DA’s Office wrote. The flies can destroy crops.

Investigators from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture assisted with the investigation. The case marked the first time that the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted someone with a felony charge for illegally importing fruit in violation of the Food and Agriculture Code.

Anyone with information about the unlawful importation or sale of produce can contact the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.

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