Drugs, weapons, ... Cactii??

[Tindomul]

BBC NEWS | Americas | Poachers threaten Mexico's cacti

[smweaver]

Quite a depressing story, especially when you consider that some (many?) of the buyers of the poached plants are probably unwittingly taking part in an activity that (one would hope) they would find appalling if they knew where their plants came from.

[Dorothy]

[Paul]

Unfortunately, cacti poaching has been a problem for years now.

The article fails to mention that many species take years -- some even decades -- to reach blooming size. In cultivation, the "harvested" wild cacti often die due to sustained damage or the inability of the idiots who buy them to care for them properly. Then there is the loss of habitat for the animals that depend upon the cacti for shelter or even food.