CDFA assisted with this investigation
“We must protect our ability to produce plentiful and healthy produce in California. Laws to protect our agriculture industry are in place to protect food, consumers and business owners.”
–CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
SAN JOSE – On July 31, 2024, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced that Hanh Hong Huynh, 43, a San Jose businessperson was sentenced to three months in jail for illegally importing tropical fruit from Vietnam that was infested with fruit flies.
Hanh Hong Huynh was convicted of conspiracy to import and sell fruit in violation of federal and state agricultural laws. Her co-defendant, Thanh Tuyen Huynh, 38, already pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy and was sentenced to community service.
This is the first felony prosecution by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office of illegally importing fruit in violation of the Food and Agriculture Code.
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.”
Produce imported from outside of the United States must first 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 dried fish, coffee, or tea to avoid inspection. Local officials told Thanh Tuyen Huynh to stop selling illegal fruit, such as langsat, which is a tropical fruit with the shape of a large grape. 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 investigation was conducted by Investigator Paul Messier of the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations and investigators from Santa Clara County’s Division of Agriculture. The investigation also received assistance from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture.
