Speaking of Customs

Last month I made a trade with one of our members. I waitted patiently for the box to arrive because it was carrying a rooted little "Lisa" and some surprises!!! The box arrived empty. Customs and Border Protection had got a hold of it and threw away my little "Lisa" and 14 of her brothers and sisters. Just threw them right in the trash. The box was also stamped with Bold letters U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. Yikes.... First off I'm thinking did they think this was a bomb or something? Why in the heck was homeland security involved? And why did they have to throw them away? Why did they not return to sender? The story does have a happy ending!!!! Last week I received another package with

tadah... Little "Lisa" and H. verticillata 'lao 1' . This little smuggler is very proud of themself. Very nice surprise.

Now I understand what you meant by AZ and the border patrol having problems. ;)

Gotta get back to my pie. ;)

Darn you any way...... Maybe I can find a few pecans around here and dip them in some syrup....LOL

Our tax dollars hard at work!!! I'm sorry that happened to you!!!
Trust me, your plants didn't end up in the trash!!!! Their sitting in someones office or home windowsill!
I read a story about 4 months ago about customs officers opening packages and throwing stuff like plants away. Well, they would have a friend on the outside that would pull things they wanted to keep on the side and it went home with them!!!!!!
If I find the article, I'll post it.

Randy

That really sucks. It's nice that you still managed to get your little "Lisa".

Sandy

Yes, I'm glad you got some good news! What a gorgeous plant.
:) Donna

Randy,
please do post it if you can find it, that will be interesting. I'm not sure if I feel better knowing someone at least tried to save and grow them. Or there just thieves, and I would love to choke them. They should return them to the sender if there not allowed.

Tami, I agree. They definitely should be returned. Where were they coming from? Did they throw them away because they were rooted. Is it okay to just send cuttings? Sorry so many questions. I just don't understand how all of the customs work.
Heather

Heather, just one of them had roots on it, and the rest were just cuttings. I'm not sure how the whole thing works. They came from out of the Country and I think it's something with the soil carrying disease and bugs. If that was the case they could of still shipped the rest of the cuttings. They also had the inspection notice marked with .. lacks a phytosanitary certificate. And it was intercepted in Chicago, so that means that if indeed someone took them out of the trash. the disease and bugs are in the U.S. I don't get it..
Tami

USDA is one of the Golden Children
of the Government...and they have more Rules than you can say grace over!!! They go by the RULES, not what makes sense!!! No phyto, no plant. Countries are protecting their $$$$, not their environment...forcing people to buy locally, mostly. That's why CA has strict regulations of anything coming into the country (lobbyists), and LA (lobbyists)...Nurseries are big business. So, tell me why I couldn't bring a certain euphorbia in from Australia that was a hybrid...and one of the parents was on the CITES list (endangered plants) which is not endangered. USA wanted a phyto from Australia and Australia wouldn't give it because it wasn't the endangered species. So they wound up in someone's collection who "rescued abandoned plants". Right!!!

My 2cents. We are not supposed to discuss politics, and this is not political...just anger!

LOL

Heather,
I had a package confiscated by Canadian Customs earlier this summer. I had only sent cuttings without any soil. That is the first and last time I will be shipping anything across the border.

The package was sent by global priority. It took almost a month to reach Canada. It was returned to me and everything had rotted except for one cutting. It took an equally long time getting back to me. What a waste! The box was really marked and stamped when I received it.

Shirley

I would just send by regular mail. I had a parcel (single layer chocolate sized box) shipped from Maryland (regular post with a $3.00 US stamp) and the rooted cutting (no soil) came through fine. I think priority makes them a *little* (LOT) more curious.

edited to say from it leaving Maryland to arriving here the # of days in the mail was 7.



This message was edited Oct 9, 2005 12:56 PM

THAT's what Global Priority takes for me!!!