An Austrian court has fined a Chinese woman GBP 333,000 for smuggling fermented plums into the country via Heathrow Airport, where they were falsely declared as cheap clothes.

The woman, who lives in the city of Graz in the Austrian state of Styria, was found guilty of illegally bringing 465,000 fermented plums into Europe from China between 2016 and 2018.

The Styrian State Court fined the woman, name not disclosed, EUR 400,000 (GBP 333,000) after she inadvertently initiated an investigation when she reported a rival businessman to local officials.

The woman filed a complaint after her competitor placed an order directly with her business partners in Shanghai in China instead of using her as an intermediary.

The court in Graz heard how the company labelled the items as “cheap garments” to deceive custom officials at London’s Heathrow Airport.

The cargo was then sent to Graz, where the woman sold it on to various clients, with an online store making up the lion’s share of her income.

Finance minister Magnus Brunner of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (OeVP) said: “Taxes of around EUR 100,000 (GBP 83,300) were dodged. The woman faces a penalty of EUR 400,000 (GBP 333,000). Austrian custom authorities have once more protected not just honourable companies but also customers by cooperating successfully with their international partner associations.”

Fermented fruit is a type of food prepared by using yeast or whey to convert sugar compounds into alcohol.

Fermented fruit is often considered an intermediate stage in making different kinds of alcoholic beverages, such as fruit-based wines.

The fruits are placed in a container, and mix of water, sugar and starter culture is added. The lid is then sealed and the fruit is left at room temperature for between two to 10 days.