Cactus Thieves Running Amok

Hylton, Hilary

Cactuses are being dug up and smuggled away at an alarming rate by over-zealous collectors looking for rare species and "narco-tourists" mining the desert for the small, psychotropic peyote plant. Illicit trade of cactus occurs on-line with collectors from around the world. There are laws in the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico, as well as international trade regulations that protect endangered and threatened cactus and also govern the sale and movement of other cactus species. But since most cactus plants flourish in desert regions with low populations and infrequent law enforcement, catching smugglers is a challenge. Cactus-rescue programs are underway in Arizona, which has some of the most stringent cactus collection and preservation laws in the U.S. Landowners and developers in that state, for example, cannot move any cactus from its natural habitat without a license from the Department of Agriculture. The saguaro, whose beautiful white blossoms are the Arizona state flower is often preyed upon by poachers.