Woman gets jail for importing fruit from Vietnam infested with fruit flies

    California (KPIX) -- A San Jose business owner has been sentenced to jail after being convicted of illegally importing fruit from Vietnam, which was found to be infested with an invasive fruit fly species, prosecutors said.

Santa Clara Co. District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced Wednesday that 43-year-old Hanh Hong Huynh received a sentence of three months in jail. Huynh was convicted of conspiracy to import and sell fruit in violation of federal and state agricultural laws.

A co-conspirator in the case, 38-year-old Thanh Tuyen Huynh, had previously pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy and was sentenced to community service. The two defendants are not related to each other.

"Santa Clara County's still-thriving agriculture must be protected. This Office advocates for our orchards, farms, and the bountiful food they produce," Rosen said in a statement.

Rosen said the case was his office's first felony prosecution of illegally importing fruit in violation of the Food and Agriculture code.

According to prosecutors, the pair arranged for the fruit to be shipped from Vietnam in 2022, misidentifying the items as dried fish, coffee or tea to avoid inspection. The illegal items included langsat or lanzones, which are tropical fruit in the shape of a large grape.

Prosecutors said Thanh Huynh ignored calls by local officials to stop selling the fruit, continuing to advertise the items on social media.

Some of the items were found to be "heavily infested" with the larvae of a destructive fruit fly endemic to Southeast Asia, according to the DA's office.

Commonly known as the oriental fruit fly, the species has been called a "significant threat" to the state's agricultural industry. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the fly is known to infest more than 230 crops, including citrus and other fruits, along with berries, nuts and vegetables.

Invasive fruit flies have also been the subject of recent quarantines in Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties.

Anyone with information about illegal importation or sale of produce is asked to contact the CDFA Pest Hotline at 800-491-1899.