In the first incident, in March 2019, Li had put 947 cacti and succulents in stockings and tied them to her body. The hoard contained eight endangered and endangered species and was worth more than 10,000 New Zealand dollars ($ 7,200), the Department of Primary Industry, which is responsible for biosafety, said in a press release Wednesday.
Li, who is from the city of Auckland on the North Island, had tried to dispose of the plants in the airport toilets after catching the attention of a police dog. But authorities said they found a “large amount” of plant material around the toilets, including in a trash can.
In a separate incident in July 2019, Li was found to have hidden 142 unauthorized seeds in iPad cases in her luggage and more than 200 garden ornaments and plant pots – with a snail and pieces of tree fern trunk – all wrapped in wet paper.
Li pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced by the Manukau court on Tuesday to 12 months of “intensive surveillance” and 100 hours of community service.
Close supervision is a community punishment and typically requires an offender to report regularly to a probation officer, and may include other specific requirements imposed by the court.
Simon Anderson, regional team manager at the Ministry for Primary Industries, said the smuggling of unauthorized plants “endangers New Zealand’s biosecurity” and that the conviction was “a good reminder that anyone who travels to plants or other endangered species. New Zealand smugglers can expect prosecution. “
“Our country is fortunate enough to be free from many of the invasive pests and diseases found in other countries,” he added.
“Our economy and way of life depend on keeping these threats out.”