Neither detained nor at the airport: the truth about the latest 'scandal' of Julio Iglesias and the 40 kilos of fruit in Punta Cana

The artist has made headlines this weekend with surreal news. Dozens of media outlets on the other side of the pond claimed that the 'Hey' singer had been detained at the Punta Cana airport after more than 40 kilos of fruit had been detected in his luggage when he was traveling from the Bahamas. But the truth is that neither Julio Iglesias He was at the airport at that time, much less detained by customs agents.

The singer did indeed travel to Punta Cana this weekend, but he did not do so on the private jet that transported the food. There were about 40 kilos of fruits (pineapples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, avocados, ten boxes of tomatoes, all types of lettuce…) and the same amount of chicken (breast, wings…), the foods that constitute the strict the singer's diet and with which he always travels, since not all the countries he visits have these foods. It is, therefore, not the first time that he has sent fruits and vegetables on his plane, but on this occasion he has encountered an unexpected obstacle: the Mediterranean Fly. It is an insect that caused many problems in the country's crops (between 2015 and 2017 it left more than 40 million dollars in losses), which is why they have tightened food export and import regulations. Furthermore, the main source of infection is in the same area where Julio Iglesias lives, so his shipment had to be carefully checked.

This is how airport sources explain it: “He is a partner of the airport and has not been detained. Plant quarantine, who are agricultural technicians, was called and they carried out the seizure to carry out the relevant tests before authorizing the transfer. It was not customs”. Furthermore, they do not explain why the news has generated so much expectation, since it is not the first time it has happened: “Don Julio always comes with his food when he travels. When they know he is coming they are waiting for him because they know he is going to bring fruit. “They have always allowed him to bring in vegetables and fruits, but because of the issue of the Mediterranean fly, which is the enemy of fruit plantations, we have to be more careful.”

The Minister of Culture of the Dominican Republic has apologized to Julio Iglesias for the “misunderstanding”, as well as the country's media. The singer's entourage affirms that he is calm and that he has had a few laughs at the expense of the headlines.