Community work for bringing in threatened species
A long community work sentence has been imposed on a woman who illegally brought threatened plants into Christchurch on a flight from China.
Xiaoquing Kuang, 44, had pleaded guilty to two charges of trading in endangered species which she had brought in to Christchurch Airport on August 7 when she arrived from China, via Singapore.
At her Christchurch District Court sentencing, Judge Gary MacAskill decided against a community detention sentence because the woman had recently taken up a job at a restaurant which meant the curfew would need to apply from 11pm to 8am.
“It is pointless imposing a community detention sentence on someone who is just going to be in bed asleep,” said the judge. It would have no impact at all.
Kuang, of Papanui, who is in New Zealand on a work visa, admitted failing to declare “risk goods” when questioned by a quarantine inspector, and two charges of trading in a threatened species.
She had imported two threatened species plant items listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species: American ginseng and Herba dendrobii, the pharmaceutical name for the Dendrobium nobile orchid.
The plants are not considered to be endangered species, but are threatened with extinction if their trade is not regulated. They require an export permit from their country of origin and an importer’s permit to bring them into New Zealand.
The orchid was hidden inside a large amount of tea. It is endemic to equatorial and sub-tropical regions of Asia.
American ginseng is a highly prized plant product and half a kilogram can earn “hunters” more than US$1000.
Judge MacAskill said, “This offending is right up there in the scale of seriousness.” The obligation was for travellers to make an honest declaration to protect New Zealand from significant economic and environmental harm.
He accepted that Kuang was unlikely to offend again.
He imposed 300 hours of community work.
Category: Focus
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