George Norris hassled by the cops.

[nalerni]

Posted originally on the OGD:

George had a visit from the plant police who confiscated all of his computer files. He was left with no way to contact his customers while they go over his computer so he would like it if you all would email him.
Please pass this on to anyone who might not already know. I'll let him explain what happened in his own words.

Howdy Buckeroos,

Well, here's the story and pay attention, you might be next!

Tuesday morning about 10 am, 6 armed agents of our government served me with a search warrant and proceeded to ransack my house, special emphasis on my office. Seems this is an investigation into a possible violation of the Lacey Act. In looking up the Lacey Act, I find that it pertains to the Importation or Shipment of Injurious Mammels, Birds, Fish (including mollusks and crustacea) Amphinia and Reptiles.
It outlines the penalties for anyone engaged in shipping to the United States, Herpestes auropunctatus which seems to be a certain species of Mongoose. It also prohibits trade to the U.S. of any wild animals, birds, fish, mollusks, crustacae, amphibians, reptiles or their offspring or eggs of anything the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe as injurious to humans, agriculture, horticulture, forestry or wildlife resources of the U.S. It further goes on to repeal the Black Bass Act of 1900????????

Also included now by the Lacey Act Amendment of 1981, they have vaguely added "plants", not anything specific like maybe orchids or cactus but just "plants".

The Feds or as I like to call them, The Plant Gestapo seems to think something was wrong with the Phrags. I sold from Peru in August even though they are listed as I-D on the CITES from that country and legally qualified for this designation by the government of Peru. The documents were passed by U.S. Customs and satisfied the USDA and those plants were inspected and sent on to me as released by the government.

Somehow the Plant Gestapo was able to convince a U.S. Federal Magistrate by taking parts of emails out of context, to issue a search warrant. After 3 hours and 45 minutes, they boxed up 20 big cartons of all my office stuff, emails, correspondence, files, catalogs, floppies, fishing pictures and personal stuff, took my CPU from my computer and left. They read me my Miranda Rights, searched my greenhouse and said I was not being charged with anything.........yet!

So I am now without computer with any addresses or business information and can not contact my customers and friends except through this Forum. I am still kicking and apparently going to take a months vacation from business whether I like it or not. It will be at least that long before I get my computer back as it is on it's way to a forensics lab in Oregon to be nuked. Let me assure y'all that they are just fishing for something...anything and they won't find nuttin.

I have always obeyed the laws, my plants are all legal and they won't find anything except some really terrible jokes on my computer.
Please bear with me during this period. We are getting plants in but have no mailing list to send price lists out to so we will just grow them out. I have email now on Kathy's computer but can only answer emails as I have no one's address. The "FREE THE OLD WRANGLER DEFENCE FUND" is not set up yet but we'll let you know later. Please feel free to write me and ask questions, I have nothing to hide and I think now the Feds know that.

Good growing to you all and watch who you let in your house.

[mda]

Could you please come here to pack up & carry away 20 big cartons of stuff from my office too? I really categorically need some chronically help apparently tidying the office.

[SpacePirate-Khan]

Oh Boy! I can't wait to hear from George!
To me it seems like a lot more people are being investigated for illegal traffic nowadays!
I can picture it now, the bureau has their allocation of money & they sit with their brand new lap tops searching the internet finding people to zap!

But if people abide by the laws & are not guilty of any wrong doing then the hassle & turmoil that the have been subjected to, becomes ludicrous!