The story is as surreal as it is bizarre and is about the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. The artist, who turned 80 last September, was stopped at the Punta Cana airport in Santo Domingo with a prohibited cargo. In his Suitcase42.16 kg of food, particularly fruits and vegetables, were intercepted by airport security forces and immediately confiscated by Dominican authorities.
What happened at the airport in Punta Cana
The story was broken by the South American website Acento, which received a report from the Ministry of Agriculture seizure The Plant Quarantine Inspection Service took some luggage on the night of Wednesday, January 10th. An anonymous Spanish passenger's suitcase contained several kilos of food. However, very soon the identity of the Iberian citizen was revealed and the name Julio Iglesias ended up on all Spanish news sites and the news became public knowledge. The singer boarded flight N768JJ from the Bahamas to the destination Santo Domingobut when he landed in Punta Cana he was stopped by the authorities and his luggage confiscated.
Fruit, vegetables and meat in the suitcase
When security officers opened Iglesias' suitcase inside, they found dozens of food packages and kilos of fresh fruit and vegetables. Numerous packages are mentioned in the official statement from the Dominican authorities StrawberriesRaspberries, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes, beetroot, celery, beans, spinach, lettuce, Mushrooms And rocket. Local newspaper Diario Libre reports that several kilos of packaged chicken breasts were also confiscated. All foods that Iglesias would have consumed at his residence in Punta Cana, where he spends several months of the year. According to Spanish media, it would not be the first time that the singer has transported sizes Amount of foodbut so far he had always passed the tests.
Because Iglesias was stopped and the food was confiscated
Given the outrage sparked by the news, local authorities wanted to make it clear that the harsh treatment reserved for Iglesias applies to all passengers arriving in the Dominican Republic. “The confiscation of fruits and vegetables belonging to Spanish singer Julio Iglesias was carried out in accordance with the prevention protocol Mediterranean fly“said Limber Cruz López, Dominican Minister of Agriculture, during the press conference called to explain the incident. The local government prohibits the introduction of products of plant and animal origin that could pose a threat risk for local cultures. The Mediterranean fly is one of the agricultural parasites that most affects the island's plant species, and the most infested area appears to be that of Los Corales, where Iglesias' residence is also located.