Countless people are stopped by airport authorities over suspicious items they might be carrying. Most of the time, the customs officers confiscate items like valuable gemstones, illegal money or drugs. But when this American couple was stopped at the Israeli airport, the airport authorities discovered them to be in possession of a humongous amount of Fruit Roll-Ups, a staple popular candy that can be found on the shelves of almost any American supermarket. But a recent rise of a TikTok trend involving the said candy has caused a shortage in their supply, specifically in Israel, reports TODAY.

Journalist @AmySpiro posted a video on Twitter which was circulated on different social media platforms soon after. "An American couple was caught trying to smuggle 375 POUNDS of Fruit Roll-Ups into the State of Israel after prices skyrocketed once the snack became part of a viral TikTok trend. Did you pack your bags yourselves and also are they full of exclusive candy?" the caption of the Twitter footage read. Well, looks like this couple tried to nab this business opportunity by responding to the candy crisis.

Mako, an Israeli media outlet reported on May 1, 2023 about this incident. The outlet reported that the two Americans were stopped at customs at Ben Gurion International Airport the previous weekend with four suitcases full of Fruit Roll-Ups wrapped in cellophane. In the widely circulated footage, airport authorities can be seen sorting out at least three suitcases full of the famous candy. Upon getting questioned both in English and Hebrew, a man in the video says that the candies are for their relatives in Israel.

Upon getting questioned about packing any clothes, the man replies that he has clothes back in Israel. The Israeli Tax Authority (which handles customs for the country) announced that 10 shipments of Fruit Roll-Ups from the U.S. were found by the Central Customs Unit at the Parcel Mail Sorting Center in Modiin, Israel, as per the outlet. The boxes contained a “commercial quantity” of the candy, which is subject to taxes and other fees by law. Spiro joked in a follow-up tweet that "she wishes there was a video of them trying to convince the customs officer that it was for personal use only."

Fruit Roll-Ups have recently experienced a rise in popularity after a TikTok trend involving wrapping ice cream in the candy treat went viral and many creators started making videos of them tasting the candy-wrapped ice cream. The TikTok craze didn't spare the Israeli netizens either as demand for the candy skyrocketed and merchants started selling a single wrapped Fruit Roll-Up for $5 to $6 each. We hope nobody gets diabetes after the trend loses its popularity especially after the Israeli Health Ministry has warned against eating the snack, saying that the candy could lead to weight gain, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and dental caries.