[PCA] Cactus Trafficker Thwarted

plant at plantconservation.org plant at plantconservation.org
Mon May 6 10:16:26 CDT 2019


A cactus smuggler has been sentenced to 2-years for stealing more than  
500 native cacti from National Park Service land in Arizona.  
International trade in all cacti are regulated under the Convention on  
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora,  
under which exports from the United States requires a CITES permit  
issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (more about CITES in the  
US[1]).

EXCERPT from the DOJ press release[2]: 

Meadview Man Sentenced to Prison for Drug Sales, Theft of Government  
Property, and International Smuggling of Federally- Protected Cacti

PHOENIX – On April 29, 2019, William Starr Schwartz, 54, of Meadview,  
Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 24  
months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised  
release.  Schwartz was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount  
of $22,655 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a charitable  
and nonprofit corporation established to further the conservation and  
management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources.   
Schwartz had previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to  
distribute methamphetamine, theft of government property, smuggling  
cacti from the United States, and Lacey Act false labeling charges.

https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/

https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/meadview-man-sentenced-prison-drug-sales-theft-government-property-and-international



Links:
------
[1] https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/
[2]  
https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/meadview-man-sentenced-prison-drug-sales-theft-government-property-and-international
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