"Mac Rivenbark, 41, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, was arrested... being charged... in connection with the illegal importation of over 1,400 orchid plants from... the Philippines in February 2005, contrary to the Lacey Act...
The case... does not yet have a trial date. If convicted, defendant Rivenbark faces up to five years imprisonment as well as a criminal fine of up to $250,000. According to the criminal Indictment and statements in court, orchids... are protected under an international treaty known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. A purpose of CITES is to monitor and restrict trade in certain species of fish, wildlife, and plants to protect them from commercial exploitation that might diminish the ability of the species to survive in the wild. CITES employs a system which classifies species at risk into various Appendices, based on the level of perceived risk to their survival in the wild. Appendix II of CITES, in which the orchids at issue are listed, includes wildlife species which although not necessarily threatened with extinction now, may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is strictly regulated. More than 170 countries cooperate in the enforcement of the provisions of CITES, including the United States and the Republic of the Philippines, by implementing domestic laws to effectuate its underlying goals. Orchids have been listed for protection since January 1975. The Indictment alleges that the CITES documents, and records, labels, and identification materials presented to U.S. authorities at Miami International Airport by Rivenbark during the importation and inspection of the orchid, consigned shipment falsely identified the orchids as artificially propagated, when in fact they were collected from the wild in the... Philippines. ... the coordinated investigative efforts of the Special Agents of the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General-Investigations, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement... brought the investigation leading to the Indictment." URL : http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=18641 *************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
