Julio Iglesias' luggage seized after officials find stash of groceries at Punta Cana airport

Spanish artist Julio Iglesias has had his luggage seized by airport officials in the Dominican Republic after a huge stash of local produce was uncovered.

Local media report the artist's luggage contained over 42kg of groceries, including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes, beets, celery, beans, spinach, lettuce, mushrooms and meat. A press release suggested that he intended to bring them into the Dominican Republic.

The passenger was caught with the cargo when he arrived from the Bahamas on a flight on January 10, where it emerged he allegedly tried to smuggle the items in his luggage.

Rosa Lazala, director of Plant Health, speaking on behalf of the Department of Communications of Agriculture, explained that the country's Health and Quarantine technicians carried out the surveillance and inspection, pre-checking and checking of luggage and all passengers.

The Ministry of Agriculture assured that it continues to apply these controls in the different ports, airports and the land border, with a view to guaranteeing that no product of animal or vegetable origin enters the country that puts national production at risk.

It is not yet known whether Iglesias will face any punishment for his alleged attempt to transport the goods.

What we know about Julio Iglesias

Iglesias is a retired singer who splits his time between the Bahamas and Punta Cana, where he lives with his wife Miranda Rijnsburger.

He has eight children in total - the most notable being his son, pop singer Enrique Iglesias - and is writing his memoirs that will be published in the near future.

Little else is known about the former singer's life. Only a few months ago, American media revealed that the singer was enduring health issues, with a series of physical issues and mobility problems confining him to a wheelchair.

It also came to light that he was experiencing memory loss due to his age, which meant he would forget song lyrics and information about his life.