Today, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced felony charges against two San Jose women, Hanh Hong Huynh and Thanh Tuyen Huynh, for unlawful importation of dangerous fruit from Vietnam. While they do not bear familial relations, both women have been charged with the same offenses and face charges of conspiracy to import and sell fruit in violation of federal and state agricultural laws.
This case marks the District Attorney's first-ever felony prosecution for illegal fruit importation, carrying significant implications for the region's agricultural stability. District Attorney Jeff Rosen emphasized the potential destructive impact of fruit flies as agricultural pests, stating, "This is serious and reckless behavior. If they spread, these flies can destroy crops. This County’s farms and everybody’s food prices are at stake."
The events unraveling this case took place in 2022 when the accused arranged for the fruit to be shipped from Vietnam. They misidentified their cargo as dried fish, coffee, or tea, enacting deceptive tactics to bypass inspection protocols and dodge suspicion. The authorities discovered the violation after seizing and testing the imported langsat fruit, which was found to be heavily infested with larvae of a highly destructive Southeast Asian fruit fly.
Hanh Huynh's involvement in the case surfaced in May 2022 when she sent a relative to retrieve approximately 200 pounds of langsat from an Alameda County shipping facility. The shipment was addressed to her East San Jose business, Tracy’s Gift Shop. Officials warned the relative of the law violation and consequently destroyed the illicit shipment.
In the same month, officials alerted Thanh Huynh, who continued to advertise and sell the illegal fruit on social media despite being warned to stop selling it. Her court arraignment is slated for September 8, 2023, while Hanh Huynh was arraigned on August 4, 2023.
Invasive pests like fruit flies pose a genuine threat to California's agricultural sector, with the potential to cause severe crop damage and upheave food prices statewide. Imported goods, particularly produce, must pass through rigorous inspections to mitigate the risk of infestation by invasive foreign pests and protect California's agricultural and ecological integrity.
The public is urged to report any information regarding the unlawful importation or sale of produce in California to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.
