# Orchid smugglers



## quietaustralian (Jan 27, 2013)

I found this article a while ago, although it's an old story, I thought it interesting. It shows how ill equipped the authorities are in dealing with orchid smuggling and the convoluted processes. 

http://www.gamewarden.ab.ca/archive/Spring2005/feature.htm


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## Ozpaph (Jan 27, 2013)

nice story.
The big issue seems to be that they were wild collected. Sounds like the prosecution might not have gone ahead if they were GH grown seedlings.


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## emydura (Jan 27, 2013)

Ozpaph said:


> nice story.
> The big issue seems to be that they were wild collected. Sounds like the prosecution might not have gone ahead if they were GH grown seedlings.



You wonder how that would have stood up in a court of law. The evidence that they were wild collected seems a little circumstantial. Can you be 100% certain using subjective judgements. Also did the importer even know they were wild collected? Coming from Taiwan, he may have thought they were nursery bred. As he pleaded guilty we will never know.


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## Ozpaph (Jan 27, 2013)

I agree.


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## bballr4567 (Jan 27, 2013)

emydura said:


> You wonder how that would have stood up in a court of law. The evidence that they were wild collected seems a little circumstantial. Can you be 100% certain using subjective judgements. Also did the importer even know they were wild collected? Coming from Taiwan, he may have thought they were nursery bred. As he pleaded guilty we will never know.



Pleading guilty seems to me he either got a really good deal or he knew that he was in the wrong. You dont just "accidently" pay for 200+ things labeled wrong on the packing slip. :rollhappy:


Kudos for this officer in following up and making it stick. Very interesting story.


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## cnycharles (Jan 27, 2013)

just shows that you should keep your nose clean because you never know who has their nose or eyes into your business! (meaning the orchid dealer up there, and the 'expert' who tagged along, and then hot-footed it before the order recipient showed up :rollhappy: )


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## NYEric (Jan 27, 2013)

Interesting read but I find the "orchid experts" named to be self serving in their analyses. No question that they are experts but I believe their determinations are tainted by motives.


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## gonewild (Jan 27, 2013)

NYEric said:


> Interesting read but I find the "orchid experts" named to be self serving in their analyses. No question that they are experts but I believe their determinations are tainted by motives.



Isn't that the definition of a Federal Government"? Well maybe not the definition but at least the M.O..


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## emydura (Feb 1, 2013)

bballr4567 said:


> Pleading guilty seems to me he either got a really good deal or he knew that he was in the wrong. You dont just "accidently" pay for 200+ things labeled wrong on the packing slip. :rollhappy:
> 
> 
> Kudos for this officer in following up and making it stick. Very interesting story.



I never said he was innocent. I was just wondering whether they could prove his guilt. We'll never know as he pleaded guilty.


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## wjs2nd (Feb 1, 2013)

Good read. Given that this was his 3rd shipment, he probably knew what was going on. I could understand a mistake/accident if it was the first crate and only a few plants, not 200+.


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## gonewild (Feb 1, 2013)

emydura said:


> I never said he was innocent. I was just wondering whether they could prove his guilt. We'll never know as he pleaded guilty.



His problem was how to prove he was innocent, almost impossible to do even when innocent, so better to take a deal than risk bigger punishment. By claiming the plants were wild collected the prosecution was able to have more counts against him so they had a bigger possible punishment to threaten him with making the plea his best option.

One thing interesting in the article was that the officer said that if the plants had been hybrids and not species they would have been downgraded to CITES apx2. Does anyone see anything wrong with his expertise?


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## limuhead (Feb 25, 2013)

Regardless of whether he had knowledge of the plants being wild collected or not I would think that ALL orchid shipments he receives from this point forward will be thoroughly inspected. Once you have something like this on your record it raises a red flag. I would also assume that any shipment coming from the vendor will also be inspected and scrutinized as well...


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