As president of the ICPS, I have recently received notice that, in the
aftermath of the highly visible California smuggling incident, CITES
authorities have been heavily scrutinizing the CP trade.
My anonymous source tells me that CPers from Germany, California, and
Japan have been under ongoing investigation. There is a very good
possibility that CITES enforcement will attempt to act on their
information in the near future. This action will be a result of
alleged smuggling activities in Nepenthes.
Since this was an anonymous letter, I have no way to verify this
information. Whether it is true or not, it never hurts to remind the
group to conduct all plant shipments within the letter of the law. It
is not worth the risk to cut corners on paperwork.
CITES enforcement actions are often political, highly visible, and can
be hellish for the individual being prosecuted.
If you have any doubts about CITES law, please contact a lawyer.
The complete text of CITES, and the ICPS statement on plant collection
can both be found on the CP Web page.
Please be careful out there!
-- Rick Walker