A woman was caught smuggling nearly 1,000 cacti and succulents into New Zealand by putting them in her stockings and tying them to her body when she arrived from China, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Tracking dogs discovered the spiky plants on 38-year-old Wenqing Li, known as Wendy, who was arrested trying to dispose of her supplies in a toilet at Auckland International Airport on March 24, 2019, according to the outlet.
The 947 cacti and succulents – including eight endangered and endangered species – were worth more than $ 10,000.
Li pleaded guilty to charges related to two separate incidents at the airport. She was sentenced to 12 months of intensive surveillance and 100 hours of community service in Manukau court on Wednesday.
She planned to sell the plants on the online marketplace TradeMe.
In a separate case on July 23, 2019, she was found in possession of 142 unauthorized seeds hidden in two iPad cases in her luggage.
More than 200 plant pots were also discovered, including a snail.
“This conviction is a good reminder that anyone who smuggles plants or other endangered species into New Zealand can expect to be prosecuted,” said Simon Anderson, an official with the Ministry for Primary Industries, which deals with biosafety.
“It is important to remember that bringing in unauthorized plants by any means, whether through personal smuggling across borders or receiving products by mail, jeopardizes New Zealand’s biosecurity,” said he.