Tourist fined for illegally buying souvenirs

31 Aug, 2007 12:14 / Updated 17 years ago

A court in Central Russia has ordered a Chilean woman to pay a fine of 15,000 roubles (around $US 580) for illegally buying state medals and awards. The 29-year-old student says she had no intention of breaking any laws or harming the country's interests.

Roxana Contreras was detained at Voronezh Airport in June with old currency and medals that she says she bought as gifts from a local flea market. The law bans cultural objects from being taken out of the country without special permission.