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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 <a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/">CITES in the US</a>).<br>
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EXCERPT from the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/meadview-man-sentenced-prison-drug-sales-theft-government-property-and-international">DOJ press release</a>: <br>
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Meadview Man Sentenced to Prison for Drug Sales, Theft of Government Property, and International Smuggling of Federally- Protected Cacti<br>
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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.<br>
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<a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/">https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/</a><br>
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<a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/meadview-man-sentenced-prison-drug-sales-theft-government-property-and-international">https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/meadview-man-sentenced-prison-drug-sales-theft-government-property-and-international</a><br>
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