How my Subway sandwich ended up costing me $1,800

This foot-long cost a hell of a lot more than five dollars.

An Australian traveler’s attempt to “Eat Fresh” in transit backfired spectacularly after she was fined nearly $1,800 for failing to declare her Subway sandwich in customs. A clip detailing the “fine” dining fiasco currently boasts over 176,000 views on TikTok.

“It is, like my mistake,” Perth model Jessica Lee described in the clip of the catastrophe, which occurred while she was returning home from Singapore. The influencer, who was reportedly famished after her “11-hour flight,” said she’d bought a “foot-long Subway” in Singapore, whereupon she ate half her sandwich and saved the rest for a flight to down under.

“I ate six inches before my second flight and then saved the other six inches for the flight which they’re more than happy with,” the hangry Lee described.

However, disaster struck after the bombshell, who didn’t end up finishing her meal, forgot to declare the snack on her incoming passenger card.

“I thought the little declaration thing you do is for your carry-ons and your luggage, so I didn’t tick chicken and I didn’t tick lettuce,” Lee lamented. “Chicken and lettuce!”

As a result, the accidental sandwich smuggler was slapped with a $2,664 fine ($1,803 USD) at customs for violating Australia’s stringent bio-security laws.

Needless to say, the Aussie was apoplectic over the penalty. “I quit my job before this trip,” rued Lee, who reportedly has just 28 days to pay the fee, right when her rent is due.

The TikTok commentariat sympathized with Lee’s post-flight plight with one commiserator writing, “that’s extortion.”

“Pls why is our govt so dramatic,” griped another empathizer, while one fan wrote, “Bruh surely they could have given you a warning…. It’s not like you were purposely importing it.”

Others urged Lee to fight the exorbitant charges. “Babe I definitely think you could contest this,” urged one online ally. “I’ve definitely traveled so many times with food for personal consumption on the plane.”

One TikTok traveler found the fine particular ludicrous, arguing that Australia lets “international visitors off with a warning on border security with bags of fish and nuts and seeds etc.”

However, Lee claimed that customs officers told her that foreign travelers get a pass due to the “language barrier” while “because I speak perfect English I can get the fine.”

In a similarly ridiculous penalty in 2018, a Colorado woman was slapped with a $500 fine at customs for saving a complimentary apple she’d received on Delta Air Lines while returning to the United States from France.