South Korean plant poachers dug of $600K worth of Dudleyas plant from California state parks

[Demovictory9]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/south-korean-plant-poacher-snatched-600-000-worth-of-plants-from-state-parks-and-tried-to-ship-them-to-asia/ar-AAOhHUu?ocid=msedgntp






South Korean plant poacher snatched $600,000 worth of plants from state parks — and tried to ship them to Asia


The leader of an international plant poaching ring has pleaded guilty to digging up thousands of succulents from remote state parks in California to ship to Asia to sell for giant profits, federal prosecutors said.

Byungsu Kim, 46, of South Korea, was accused with two co-conspirators of flying to Los Angeles in 2018, and then driving to small state parks in northern California where they illegally dug up numerous Dudleya plants.

The plants are prized in Asia, but take years to grow in nurseries, so those growing in the wild along the California coast have become a major target for poachers, authorities say. Black market Dudleyas can sell for up to $1,000 each, wildlife experts say.

Local law enforcement then executed a search warrant on the cargo, and found more than 3,000 Dudleyas inside, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors say Kim and his accomplices, Youngin Back, 47, and Bong Jun Kim, 46, stole plants from DeMartin State Beach and Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park that were worth more than $600,000 in Asian markets.

[Rollo]

1. Huh, I got some of those just growing (slowly) in my rock garden...

...didn't know they could fetch up to $1000 each...

[Demovictory9]

2. not sure which type they dug up. I added the pics. click on article.. shows pic of plant from park

but yes, yours could be worth $1000

[Brother Buzz]

6. They are worth what someone is willing to pay for them

This poaching has been going on for decades, bust this is the first time I've heard of an arrest.

Good!

[babylonsister]

3. Sacrilidge!! That's a lot of plants. nt

[Demovictory9]

4. it sure is!!

[jeffreyi]

5. Assholes.

[Beatlelvr]

8. Ditto!

[Moebym]

7. The cultivation of succulents appears to be a popular hobby in East Asia

So I'm not surprised about this at all.

[Hekate]

9. Hell's bells. People will do damn well anything in the way of destroying nature for money...

I like succulents, some of which will start anew from a knocked-off leaf. I used to grow a lot of plants next to a bright window, and occasionally would find a dropped leaf on the shelf with half a dozen teensy starts around the edge.

Some of my neighbors have beautiful succulent gardens outside. But steal them from a national park? No way. I hope these thieves get jail time before being kicked out of the country.

[ShazzieB]

10. Dudleya is an entire genus of plants with many species and varieties.

According to Wikipedia, "Dudleya is a genus of succulent perennial plants, consisting of about 46 species with around 68 taxa in southwestern North America." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudleya

Here's a list of dudleya species found in California: https://calscape.org/loc-California/dudleya%28all%29/ord-popular/allplants?srchcr=sc613c2b2fcdf67

I don't know which ones are being poached, but they seem to be a diverse group of plants

[Shrike47]

11. I loathe people who vandalize public places and steal from all of us. I would destroy these people.

[TeamProg]

12. Have you noticed?

Proven- there are a-holes in every single cross section of society.

Short list:

Police
Politicians
Pork farmers.

There, and that’s only three in the P O part of the alphabet!

[SunSeeker]

13. What scum! I hope state officials can replant them...

These plants grow so slowly, it will take years to replace them otherwise.

[cinematicdiversions]

14. Good video explaining the international trade.