International Plant Smugglers Weeded Out

WASHINGTON, DC, July 24, 2001 (ENS) - Six men charged with crimes related to the illegal importation of internationally protected plants called cycads were arrested by special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friday.

Cycads, which look like palms or tree ferns, are a group of plants whose ancestors date back more than 200 million years. Some cycad species are endangered or threatened in the wild from habitat loss and over-collection.

Cycads are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a treaty through which the United States and more than 150 other countries regulate global trade in imperiled animals and plants.

Many of the smuggled cycad species are listed on Appendix I of the treaty and cannot be commercially traded. Any international movement requires permits from both the exporting and importing countries. The smuggled plants also include some Appendix II species, which require permits from the country of origin certifying that trade represents no threat to the survival of wild populations.

Peter Heibloem, 47, of Queensland, Australia, and Ernest Bouwer, 56, of Sandton, South Africa, were arrested Friday and charged with 15 counts of conspiracy, smuggling, and making false statements in an indictment unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

According to the indictment, Heibloem, Bouwer, and three others charged - John Baker of Gauteng, South Africa, Ian Turner of Harare, Zimbabwe, and Rolf Kyburz, of Queensland, Australia - sent approximately $542,000 worth of protected cycads to the United States from South Africa, Australia, and Zimbabwe.

The indictment alleges that the men used invalid CITES permits for the shipments and falsely labeled many of the plants shipped to cover up the lack of a valid permit. Baker, Turner, and Kyburz remain at large outside the United States.

Also charged in the indictment and arrested on Friday, July 20, is Donald Joseph Wiener, 64, of Mexico. He is alleged to have knowingly purchased approximately $200,000 worth of these plants from Heibloem.

Rolf Bauer, 44, of Johannesburg, South Africa, and Jan Van Vuuren, 54, of Centurion, South Africa, also arrested on Friday, are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, and making false statements in a separate 29 count indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

According to the indictment, these two men sent more than $300,000 worth of protected cycads to the United States from South Africa. They allegedly used invalid CITES permits for the commercial shipments and falsely labeled many of the plants to cover up the lack of a valid permit.

Jose "Pepe" Portilla, 34, of Ecuador, was also arrested on Friday. Charged with smuggling in a one-count complaint in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Portilla allegedly sent 10 protected cycads into the United States.

In addition to the U.S. investigation, Australian Customs Service and Environment Australia have begun investigations into alleged offences committed in Australia. Customs executed three search warrants in Queensland on Saturday.

Australian Environment Minister Senator Robert Hill said, "Criminals involved in wildlife smuggling are frequently involved in international syndicates, making the result from this long term investigation a testament to the effective cooperation between Australian and overseas border and wildlife agencies."

The Service investigation also resulted in charges against three individuals accused of trafficking in protected orchids. Antonius Juniarto of Surabaya, Indonesia, and Iwan Kolopaking of Jakarta, Indonesia, have been indicted in the Northern District of California on 21 counts of conspiracy, smuggling, and false statements related to the shipment of CITES Appendix I orchids into the United States from Indonesia.

Both remain at large. According to the indictment, the two men sent multiple packages of orchids through the mail with customs declarations falsely identifying the contents as toys. A separate indictment in the Northern District of California charges Terence Leung of Hong Kong with four counts of smuggling related to shipments of CITES Appendix II orchids from Hong Kong into the United States. Leung also remains at large.

The maximum penalty for each of the charges against these men is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. An indictment contains allegations against an individual, and all defendants must be presumed innocent of the charges against them unless they are convicted.

The federal probe into the international trade in protected species of cycads and orchids was conducted by special agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with assistance from the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Office of Inspector General, as well as the Endangered Species Protection Unit of the South African Police, Australian Customs, and Environment Australia. The cases are being prosecuted by the Wildlife and Marine Resources Section of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

According to Senator Hill, Australia has some of the most stringent legislation in the world to address illegal trade in Australian native wildlife and internationally endangered species, and the government has recently strengthened this legislation.

"This government is determined to enforce the legislation and continue close cooperation with overseas law enforcement agencies to combat wildlife crime," Senator Hill said.

To view the IUCN 1997 Red List of Endangered and Threatened Cycads, visit: http://www.plantapalm.com/vce/conservation/iucnredlist.htm

(Copyright: Environment News Service)

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