Plant Heist - Succulent Smuggling Documentary (SXSW Official selection)

Thousands of Succulents, millions of dollars. a real world theft of highly prized plants that are worth BIG money.
In northern California, a Game Warden uncovers an illicit network of succulent poachers after mysterious packages containing native plants are reported, and with the help of citizens, biologists, and authorities, he races against time to halt the destruction before permanent damage is inflicted on the land.
Winner of Emerald award Coronado Film Festival 2021
✳️A note from the Filmmakers
It all began with reading a news article in The New Yorker about Officer Freeling's big break. Being a succulent and plant enthusiast, I was intrigued by the story's bizarre and interesting nature, so I decided to track down Officer Freeling and give him a call to ask if he’d talk on camera. After waiting for approval from his department heads, we finally got the green light.
I set out with my sister and our friend Georgia to Mendocino. After the initial interview on the bluff overlooking the crime scene on that foggy day, we knew as we drove back to Oakland that we had the makings of a fascinating documentary subject. So we put a plan into action to track down all the key people necessary to flesh out the whole picture.
Through calling in favors for filmmaking gear, self-funding, and grassroots fundraising, we cobbled together the necessary funds to execute our vision. We are incredibly proud of what we achieved with very little money. Please share the video; the more people who know that plant poaching is a real issue, the better!
⚠️UPDATE: Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 223 by Assembly member Chris Ward (D - San Diego) into law, making it unlawful to sell, or possess with the intent to sell, any Dudleya illegally taken from its natural habitat on state lands. AB 223 makes it unlawful to sell or possess with the intent to sell any Dudleya illegally taken from its natural habitat and establishes minimum penalties of $5,000 per plant for the first offense, and $40,000 per plant for any subsequent offenses.

[@WelfareChrist]

I love that this guy put on his ghillie suit to catch these plant poachers.

[@CoolestGuyInTheRoom]

Too bad that was for the video.

[@jonathangehman4005]

It's a surprisingly common fetish

[@mason96575]

@@jonathangehman4005rawr 😏

[@vera02]

@@CoolestGuyInTheRoom Just for the video? Come on out to the coast and test that theory.

[@nannerz1994]

In order to save the plant you need to become the plant

[@r8chlletters]

The sad thing is you can so easily propagate these in a greenhouse rather than erode or destroy habitat.

[@bambooblue74]

As someone who lives near this coastline, I find this incredibly sad and angering at the same time. Thank you CA Fish and Wildlife. I hope you are continuing the monitor. I’ll continue to do my part and report poachers.

[@matthill367]

They’re not just taking some plants, they’re taking the ecosystem

[@KenK-g4o]

One of the really unfortunate things about taking Dudleyas from the wild is that many are very site specific and don't transplant well, if at all.

[@Don-Kedik]

and theyre super easy and fast to grow from seed. none of this makes sense

[@MrWolfheart111]

@@Don-Kedik Or the pups they produce or even a leaf produces pups.

[@herahagstoz6934]

Agreed. I tried. No luck. I felt bad about it because I took it from its magical environment. Never again. Unless I get lucky enough to live nearby. ❤😊

[@kittenpawsbb]

Agree. There’s a complete disregard for these plants, that’s why they take thousands of them. If they lose a few, they’re like oh well, they’ll be back to grab more.

[@Don-Kedik]

@@MrWolfheart111 Most dudleyas dont pup from leaves. but still, each plant makes thousands of seeds and theyre easy to grow. it's just silly to steal mature plants when u can grow the same size in a year

[@shannonjurgens3667]

Ain’t no middle class nobody purchasing a $700 plant.

[@rweezy6246]

💯

[@DursunX]

people whom have more money than morals

[@shannonjurgens3667]

@@DursunX I disagree. You don’t get a lot of money when you spend it like that.

[@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerke]

But its immigrants that are stealing them, California's open border policies created this problem.

[@KansasClity-wq3pn]

People spend money on stupid shit every day you're just broke

[@kiyoshikusama4178]

This issue needs more coverage, so, thank you for making and producing this video

[@SiblingRivalry772]

Thank you and agreed!

[@m_d_l_a3208]

I’m going to help spread this amongst like minded individuals. Situations like this really are concerning. If the plants are gone what will California have left.

[@stargazer4625]

Did not know this type of activity actually existed on this scale. Very alarming

[@PalmBeachFlorida24]

Florida has orchid poachers. Look up some YTube videos on that if you're interested. In the dead of night and through swamp filled alligator infested waters, poachers look for our native ghost orchid. $10,000 - $25,000 per orchid!

[@coltonp7149]

Happens in many nations.

[@radiohill]

The succulent industry in the past 20 years has become massive. MASSIVE.

[@Deontjie]

Bush meat from Africa to Europe. Nobody talks about it. Donkey skins to China. Everything for traditional medicine. People ring barking massive trees to sell the bark to witch-doctors. Body Human body parts harvesting. Even our educated ministers do not make a decision without consulting a sangoma.

[@KansasClity-wq3pn]

Why?

[@radiohill]

@@KansasClity-wq3pn over the years more and more professional gardeners started featuring them in their water conservation gardens. They were kind of obscure before that. I was an assistant to an artist in Pasadena and helped to create a permaculture garden which had two nicely sized succulent walls. It won the garden of the year. Their pastel colors and semetry can be quite breathtaking.

[@BlackSeranna]

@@KansasClity-wq3pn people use them for decoration to make their houses look nice. My little nephew built a computer this summer for a project. I bought the parts and so he wanted stuff to decorate his desk. I said, “Like what?” And he said, “Some little plastic plants, like cactuses.” So I actually found one at my in-law’s house for free. It seems to be a trend, except these people are stealing succulents from the wild. They sell them at a high price to rich people, where the plants are given and gifts and probably end up dying. This is why Florida has trouble with keeping wild orchids - people are raping the forests to take the orchids. There’s a ghost orchid that is quite beautiful, and so when someone sees one of those on their property they keep it secret. It goes for any rare animal or plant. My brother saw a bear on his property in southern Indiana and he didn’t tell anyone but me. We kept it secret because people would be hunting down the bear to kill it.

[@ym2173]

Drove from Palm springs to san Francisco with my late wife back in 2015. The succulents we saw on the cliffs off California 1 were stunning.

[@asha8443]

Loved the last part where volunteers replanted some of the confiscated succulents. These plants are part of our ecological treasure that belong to us all. Which is why foreigners taking them is such a slap in the face.

[@SiblingRivalry772]

Fully Agree!

[@me-ye6ld]

Whether they’re a foreigner or from Columbus, OH, it is wrong.

[@balipan09]

What sucks about a straight replanting after confiscation is that it takes expensive testing to make sure that you aren't introducing pathogens foreign to that soil ecosystem when doing so. Once you rip a poached and further transported plant out of its endemic soil you have effed everything up.

[@mikenealon4042]

i wanna volunteer!

[@cherylmillard2067]

@@balipan09 You just have to make sure the growing substrate is sterilized prior to its use. Native soil isn't hard to obtain either, either way is safe.

[@mazer4112]

I hated learning this when it was at its peak. My friends and I actually took a couple of trips to the coast to see if we could catch anyone. Kudos to our Fish and Game AKA Fish and Wildlife Wardens, they do s great job as it is, but in these cases they really hit hard and fast. Another kudos to the justice system for handing down severe fines and jail time. We only have one ecosystem which is under tremendous threat already, we need to do all we can to help it from further damage

[@AP-ib7rf]

someone give Pat Freeling a medal.

[@balipan09]

I love you Pat Freeling. Good man. It's a huge problem here in Texas too. In our small community in Austin, we embrace widespread public shaming of plant poaching. In these days of social media it seems to have a good impact.

[@angelinimartini]

What kinds of plants are they poaching in Austin? When I’ve headed on the outskirts and surrounding towns, been a little over two years now, I saw y’all were having problems with giant hogweed and wisteria just swallowing up other plants. All on what seemed like private property and it sucks because trying to protect the natural plants is hard then added invasive species make it way more difficult.

[@juliemcgugan1244]

Was reading an article on the website of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and in Texas there is apparently a particular problem with poaching many species of cacti.

[@______IV]

2000 plants stolen valued at $50-$700 per plant…$10k fine is a joke.

[@goodgrief888]

This reminds me of Tulip Mania. Plants have a hidden life that most of us aren’t aware of.

[@tonyfourpaws4511]

Also the hat plumage craze of the late 1800s that caused the extinction of hundreds of bird species. read a book called the feather thief. multi faceted book and a great read.

[@canavar1435]

Best start cultivating those succulents for trade. Jobs created, money earned and helping these rare species to thrive. A win win story unfolding.

[@r8chlletters]

Anyone in horticulture knows how simple it is the produce succulents. Stupid to destroy habitat when it’s so easy to grow them.

[@batman4329]

I noticed one that was struggling and almost dead on the edge of a parking lot near Bodega Bay a few years ago. It looked like it had been stepped on or dug up. I moved it over a few feet to where another patch was growing well and replanted it. When I went back to the same area the following year there were a lot more growing well in the same area but then I went back 2 years later and there weren’t very many at all. I assumed they just died off but now I wonder if someone came through a poached a bunch. We try to go to that area every year or 2 and I never knew poaching them was a thing. It’s very unfortunate.

[@kittenpawsbb]

That’s why this video is great, makes you question what you experienced. You did a good thing, for trying to save the plant. Thank you 😌🙏🏽🌟🕊️

[@lunasiciliani7128]

Thank you Game wardens for protecting our plants and keeping our natural beauty and erosion at bay...😢

[@OKPence90632]

Some good news in east Asia. Most Dudleyas are safe now. Because they have been widely propagated by Chinese farmers. Farmers produce them in the way of producing vegetables~~ Farmers have figured out how to sow them and made them grow 10x than in nature. Only one greenhouse can produce hundreds of thousands of them. So the price slumped to only as the 1% from $300 in 2017 to $4 in 2023 for a typical cutie. So there is no financial reward for poaching. But there is still some concerns about hunting for "new unseen species"

[@OffGridInvestor]

It's VERY easy to propagate echevaria species, because EACH LEAF can become a new plant with propagation. I hate echevaria but women here love them. I'm more a cactus guy, have about 400, mainly trichocereus.

[@nysunflower9439]

@@OffGridInvestorit’s easy to propagate from a leaf but it takes forever. And ever. And forever.

[@GreenCanvasInteriorscape]

Slower than an echeveria?

[@Don-Kedik]

theyre super easy from seed. glad theyre growing them from seed now.

[@onestarabove7027]

Are you trying to justify their behavior?

[@zztop4996]

This makes me REALLY mad! Bless the officers, lawyers, volunteers, and others committed to stopping this atrocity.

[@RobCherwink]

Thanks for this! " 🌵 Only take photos! and don't buy poached plants 🦊 "

[@SiblingRivalry772]

100% agree! Wild plant photos are super fun to get!

[@RobCherwink]

@@SiblingRivalry772 Agreed!

[@DursunX]

'take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints' a mantra i learnt as a child. made me a better adult.

[@Pilikoa]

Similarly, the population of Astrophytum asterias (cactus) is considered vulnerable. Gardeners should be aware of what they buy and its status in the wild. Some of these plants are slow growing and will not replenish itself at the rate it’s being removed.

[@susanmullaney9359]

These are so easy to grow from seed. I propagate them in my kitchen in Dollar Tree seedling trays.

[@SiblingRivalry772]

Agreed!

[@theprecipiceofreason]

I love that they are being proactive instead of just trying to catch up

[@trapgoongucci7104]

Bro is the delta force of succulents 😂 👏🏻 good shit lol

[@RoseanneSeason7]

Reading the orchid thief has shown me that people go nuts for flowers

[@yougeo]

I was not aware. They should post signs to tell tourists to photograph and report people stealing plants.

[@HolyCannolis]

I “like” how the lady in the thumbnail covering her face is literally know to the world now. Ooopsie!

[@drone_boss]

This officer rocks! Very passionate!

[@XtianApi]

Just grow from seeds. Jeez

[@kittenpawsbb]

Exactly. I heard propagating them are easy too. I just got my first this year. $2 clearance in Walmart.

[@pw4780]

Send these thieves to prison! 🌵

[@escapeearth2327]

And then deport them forever!

[@famousbowl9926]

This is old but the rare ones are still sought after.

[@Vativ]

Great high quality video, very unfortunate to see this type of behavior.

[@SiblingRivalry772]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@njb1528]

I was very sad to see two women stealing chalk dudleyas while walking in our local regional park. I told them what they were doing was illegal.

[@its.basically_steve]

🤫

[@randomaccount-rw3bm]

Did you try calling the police

[@m_d_l_a3208]

It’s worth a try.

[@andrestein6022]

If that's all you did, that's not enough you should have called the police

[@Sad_Bumper_Sticker]

I would have stealthily took their photo so they don’t notice And IMMEDIATELY call the police /park rangers where they are and email them the photo so they could search them.

[@ValentineBernier-Wallace]

This was very interesting, who knew those succulents were creating a demand in the black market. This needs more exposure.

[@SiblingRivalry772]

Glad you think so. Agreed!

[@Sad_Bumper_Sticker]

Parks should instruct park goers to REPORT / photograph what they see. Like in Africa locals notify the local authorities when they see signs of poachers.

[@pfrydog]

$10,000 fine 2 years in jail is petty and will not deter this from continuing.

[@KansasClity-wq3pn]

They should be deported

[@monicascott2354]

Doing nothing would be better? They can only charge/fine them within the rules of law. Duh.

[@commentforthealgo5383]

could you imagine a world where police had the same heart and soul as a wildlife ranger?

[@marsenarichmond2208]

Like the difference between police and fire fighters.

[@kittenpawsbb]

When you hate one, you hate all. You are no better.

[@commentforthealgo5383]

@@kittenpawsbb I'm for sure better I hate police I do not hate mailpeople or office workers or the military, I hate the swat team, but i do not hate the bomb squad or the park rangers, I hate K9 units using dogs to attack humans, but i do not hate the k9 itself. I've never beatin a defenseless person, Ive never shot anyone, Ive never abused my power, Ive never sent someone to jail for what they didnt do, Ive never lied in cour or stolen from the government. YES WE ARE DIFFERENT

[@commentforthealgo5383]

@@marsenarichmond2208 yes exactly what I'm trying to explain. why do we love some but hate others. what is it? they are all bad guys and we want them to be punished but what is it about police we all hate

[@kittenpawsbb]

@@commentforthealgo5383 Satan is hate. When you hate one, you hate all. I wish you well. #SeekGod 😌🙏🏽🌟🕊️

[@Gardens_of_Vanha_Talo_Soumi]

It's heartwarming to know over 1000 poached plants were replanted, but isn't that a miniscule amount considering the several thousands which were poached?

[@tonyfourpaws4511]

and your point...why are you undermining the outcome. would you prefer nothing was planted? because you should be happy.

[@monicascott2354]

And? They did SOMETHING. C'mon now.

[@monicascott2354]

​@@tonyfourpaws4511They sound miserable, don't they?

[@denverdrygarden2268]

Fantastic film, thank you for sharing the story.

[@PLANTEUS]

Thank you to everyone involved in this situation. Amazing people. The laws really don't mean anything unless they are enforced, and we need more people to care about our plant species all over the globe.

[@tylergreene1159]

Made me happy to see Brett at the Arboretum for a second! Great Documentary!

[@sjain8111]

Thank you for protecting native species 🩵🌳

[@mbc9249]

$200. for a succulent? They could have just as easily bought them legally online for a small fraction of the cost. Or did I miss something?

[@SiblingRivalry772]

At the time of these thefts you could not buy any Dudleya Farinosa other than those stolen from the wild. Thankfully you can now find Dudleya Farinosa for sale from many nurseries in California including Home Depot and ACE thanks to a concerted effort to flood the market from commercial horticulturist, this effort did take time to achieve. Unfortunately wild plant poaching continues to be a problem with other species.

[@legendarymayormarylikestur8874]

where do you think all the "rare" succulents come from? They are poached from the locations they are native and cultivated for sale. This has happened with several varieties of plants over decades. For whatever reason, succulents have become a massive problem.

[@raymondannas4496]

Venus fly traps in North Carolina are dealing with the same issue. People have been trying to poach them for who knows how long. Fun fact, they are native only to a small area there and nowhere else.

[@erikm8372]

The lady, Guanrong Rivera, was charged with grand theft, vandalism, conspiracy and filing a false document-good, but as the DA stated, there’s no point in having environmental laws if you’re not enforcing them. So, was Guanrong charged with anything else, environment-related? "Damage to the environment" or "deforestation" or something? I get that it’s "grand theft" against the planet, in a sense, but I just wondered if she was charged with anything specific.

[@SiblingRivalry772]

She wasn't charged with anything beyond what you see in the film, but check out the update below the video in the description. Since that case, California has given the law a lot more "teeth," and I was told that this film played a direct role in getting that bill signed into law. We thought that was pretty awesome!

[@gabscar1]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. It is shocking that there is such a market. It is unbelivable the amount of money collectors will pay. Surely they know these plants are protected. I bet they call themselves "nature lovers"! I live in Scotland and can easily propogate succulents with some patience and TLC.

[@burrdaddy]

Great doc. Wonderful work on this important story.

[@plantgayforlife]

this is such an excellent and well made documentary! I've made similar ones on poached plants from south america. would love to see more from this channel!

[@SiblingRivalry772]

Glad you liked the doc👍

[@chrisholmes1589]

Outstanding work, Chelsi and Gabriel!

[@SiblingRivalry772]

Much appreciated!

[@jameslaupan6499]

I have personally witnessed this in New Mexico, hundreds and hundreds of agaves being stripped off hillsides, even from federal lands.

[@joekulik999]

In the 1970's & 1980's, I was living in the Bay Area & my hobby was house plants, including many succulents. The cost of buying succulents legally back then was trivial. In fact, I'm surprised that they take so many years to mature because it certainly wasn't reflected in the retail prices back then. But, after all, a succulent is just a plant. So the idea that anyone anywhere in the World would pay $100's of for just one of them is simply absurd & only goes to prove PT Barnum's infamous dictum that "There's a SUCKER born every minute." The same thing is happening with French Bourdeax wines. Rich people in China have driven up the price of French wine to sometimes $1000/bottle & store them in vault as an "investment", never to be tasted. All this for what is basically fermented grape juice. Getting too much money too quickly can make some people STUPID, apparently even in China. "A fool and his money are soon parted." - Aesop. 😂😮😂

[@urmotherlover]

One of the reasons these plants are poached from the wild is because they grow different colors and stronger(bigger) due to the unique weather conditions on the coast/cliffs that cannot be recreated in nurseries. So even if you can grow from a seed or a leaf - it won’t have the same “look”… making wild plants so expensive 😢

[@SiblingRivalry772]

That's very fascinating, I never knew! Researching this phenomenon currently

[@yougeo]

I am so glad to see the plants are getting replanted.

[@Sparklfoot]

No kidding we’ll defend our native plants like Dudleya. And thank you for such a great presentation.

[@SiblingRivalry772]

My pleasure! glad you enjoyed!

[@ElmerGLue]

3:55 Good to know that in California you are subject to search just for using a rental. Same way out of state plates are treated when they see a shade of tint too dark.

[@Sdr-ij4un]

The most lucrative thing about "rare" species and poaching for East Asia is not so much the product than it is the story behind how they got it. There is an allure around the fact that it's extremely rare and detrimental to the environment once taken. The trade may still go on not for the plant but for the fact that it's from the "California coast" - a very sad and gross obsession

[@triciahlongwa6383]

Well that's just sad, I'm a new plantmom and the best part about it is watching them grow everyday, waiting to see any new change. I can't imagine what would be the satisfying about a stolen succulent

[@SiblingRivalry772]

I agree! It is a strange phenomena, happens with giant Saguaro cactus's too out of Arizona

[@madi0711]

Thank you for everything you do, I'm surprised this was not recommended to me earlier. Truly horrible what we as a human species are doing to our planet due to greed... ridiculous.

[@CaesarBro]

I’ll keep an eye out during hikes.

[@esthersorenson9572]

My grandma used to grow succulents of all types, since before I was born in the 70's. She shared cuttings with my dad who then grew a lot of them in his garden. Later, in the 90's he started selling pups (baby succulents) to a nursery. He has shared cuttings with me and I've been building up my garden. It makes me so mad that people are stealing succulents. Why not grow them and sell them when they're bigger?

[@timlambert5165]

I most admire our current awareness of the lands fragility,that we have created laws that intend to protect beauty,nature for all.❤️

[@sgraham4533]

I don’t know what the guys were stealing from Point Lobos but they had scuba suits on and were carrying bags as there returned back to their van to put their street clothes back on in the parking lot. I reported them immediately to the park rangers. U are not supposed to be in the water at all there. It is a natural preserve.

[@Toddis]

People can be so awful

[@hannahmc5291]

Kudos to your efforts and success in California but it makes me even more concerned about parts of the world without the capacity to put a stop to this. I'd love to know about any organisations working on reducing demand in the destination countries? Also need to hit the platforms hosting these sellers - HARD!

[@critterjon4061]

This also a cultural problem as people from south East Asian cultures (china specifically) just cannot comprehend the concept of environmental protection

[@robeHuaLianG]

South east asia hast 11 countries and china doesn‘t belong in it, but I understand your point it is troublesome making money out of anything even destroying the ecosystem, stealing everything and anything

[@dis4980]

China has grab hag problems.

[@guynextdoor84edward]

For your information, 1. Japan is one of the biggest butterfly collector, they collect many many including rare butterflies from tropical countries including South East Asia. 2. Alot of the plants are also interested and wanted by other western countries basically plant enthusiasts that "love" to collect certain or rare plants of which many are from tropical countries My point is if there is no buyers then they won't be sellers. And pls don't simply point fingers to just certain countries which would impose unjustified negative impression

[@jimmyjam-vc6rf]

This is upsetting. I have a fond memory of visiting this area and walking along the shores seeing these plants. They are amazing how they grow out of the pure rock on the sides of cliffs.

[@izharfatima5295]

What I have noticed is so that the badges are of a particular star shape of these officers !!!

[@papagen00]

They caught the criminals in a sting operation.

[@timlaws7034]

Punishment should be to plat 10× what you got busted taking.

[@diegobellavia]

I used to work at a succulent nursery in Southern California called Water Wise Botanicals. Regularly there would be a group of Asian ladies and men come and buy an entire truckload of cuttings of Dudleyas. They did not need to be potted or anything, they just wanted the truckloads, that they immediately boxed and shipped.

[@nannerz1994]

It's also really scary to think that you could accidentally be buying an illegally poached plant online. How can they not catch you if you're on Amazon?

[@izharfatima5295]

Did you plant them back from where these were snatched or kept in private custody?? Disturbing the natural composition of the ecosystem means disturbance to the whole which dramatically effects the other eco systems and the results are devastating.

[@Alyssasplants]

As a local who’s 3rd generation in Monterey ca tons of tourist visit every year to our beach’s I already worry about that since most have no respect for our beach’s but now plant poachers it pisses me off even more I will be calling in if I see anything like this

[@salivadriven]

I don’t understand; one small piece can provide hundreds and thousands of tissue samples. So unnecessarily destructive.

[@_rrwwcox]

Yes, but that's not a way to make fast $. If all you care about is a quick buck, and not a sustainable business, then poaching is faster and easier. Tissue culture takes time, resources, and knowledge. Of course, it'd be much better if these people only took a small amount of plant material for TC, but that's not the business they're in. This certainly makes me think carefully about the species i purchase and which sellers i buy from.

[@Apodictic1]

Thank you for your great work.

[@vicaddenbrooke6644]

Keep up the good work rangers.

[@tegerusgardens1]

Just if they realized they could have propagated these plants from very little

[@owenlarson07366]

The valuable native plants are now from the Cape of Africa. Bigger, older, and harder to protect 😢

[@waterlover]

Now I know why the succulents from the hill side of La Mission are less and less . People are stealing them from the hill sides

[@droogsurgeon1440]

Grow your own!!!! Jesus Christ!

[@leptonlord2791]

too true, i grow succulents and once you have a leaf its so easy to get a healthy renewable crop. dont get some people who feel the need to steal ones from the wild

[@michelleburkholder2547]

I wondered the same thing. Fast money, some of those plants took 30 years to grow.

[@chau2024haha]

@@michelleburkholder2547 no they don’t. They reproduce like welfare recipients.

[@ginkodragon]

It is all about money! Move in to take as many plants as possible, as quickly as possible to sell them and make big money.

[@BlueBoyzCams-lr1qg]

Another reason to secure the boarder. Protect the plants.

[@ryan_roga]

$10,000 fine at $500/plant is basically 20 plants. Slap on the wrist.

[@Don-Kedik]

who the hell can sell a tiny plant for $500

[@JasperKlijndijk]

​@@Don-Kedikmore like 10 dollars I bet

[@Don-Kedik]

@@JasperKlijndijk probably. you can buy seed grown Dudleyas in garden centers for about that much

[@rosemariehomeyerbente1832]

Horrible behavior…. What a crisis for everyone…

[@broakland2]

This pisses me off, thank you to all the Monterey officials who are working to stop this. They are destroying our environment!

[@natalie526]

seeing how many years it takes for them to reach a large size makes this so infuriating. they are already facing enough challenges related to development/habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change. if I ever come across a plant poacher they're gonna wish they'd never been born >:(

[@mikjb]

Thank you for doing this story. Plants are so impacted by both the leagal and illegal man made migration of plants. Altering both the environment where they are taken feom and the environment that they are taken to. THANK YOU. Some of this happens at the behest of the government and thier policies. Think Siberian Elms cross pollinating with our native American Elms that survived the Dutch elm disease. And i have no doubt that these succulents are coming back to America via the gardening industry with biological hitchhikers in the soil. Think about the flat worms being introduced to Scotland. This is another cost of having an economy that does not work for the little guy and or greed.

[@garygilliam1890]

This is messed up I collect sucllents I buy from mountain crest gardens and live in South Carolina

[@OddWoz]

Very much support stopping this… but the tactics described in the beginning of the video are questionable _at best._ Rental vehicles are not a crime, do not constitute probable cause, and should not be viewed as immediately “suspicious”. When benign things like that are being seen as potentially criminal, it harms every single one of us just as much, if not more, than the smuggling of the plants and stealing of our natural treasures. I don’t want our rights stolen either… and that’s what’s happening when simple things like having a prepaid dumb phone or a rental car are seen by Law enforcement as “criminal behavior”. They make up the law as they go a lot of times, and arguably “small”assumptions like that absolutely erode our rights… usually little by little and then all at once.

[@terredee]

Really great show. Thank you.

[@petrektek1385]

That's so stupid it's so easy to propagate them from the neighbors you don't need to buy any succulents!

[@earvinquero2037]

What a documentary.

[@chrisjacques5222]

The mountains of San Diego are being pillaged. I’ve saw a red small truck with his full camper shell leaving a dirt road multiple times full of succulents. I’m reluctant to share the location but it happens regularly. Strips the land of the beautiful colors and changes the landscape thoroughly. I would be happy to combat this crap. I’m from San Diego and from the small succulent’s, large trees not growing back after fire, the entire landscape is changing. It’s sad to see ignorant land owners and greedy people stripping the land for profit. Humans continually break chains of symbiosis for profit. We are the problem.

[@caramazzola2399]

Huh, abalone is poached by Chinese syndicates in South Africa as well. They work together with local gangs. A lot of indigenous succulents are poached here, most notably cultivars of Dropsera (sundew).

[@MaryDelco]

This also has happened to wild edible mushrooms . I used to pick tan oak mushrooms on and around my property to eat but every year there were less and less because foreigners would come in and rake the forest ground taking everything..

[@justinspicyrhino3075]

I grow San Pedro cacti and some of the cuts can go fo thousands of dollars! At least wth San Pedro you can eat it and get high.

[@SiblingRivalry772]

Indeed! big fan of San Pedro!

[@BJSal916]

Soooooooo much more to San Pedro than getting high

[@CaliforniaTea]

“Kidnapping” LorT I was waiting for this to turn into a terrorist threat…When’s the TV 📺 movie coming out on Lifetime 😂🤣🤪

[@CactusCaffeine]

This makes me so angry. But I’m glad there are laws being enforced.

[@blueyomogi]

There needs to be a public education campaign in Asia about how their consumption has an environmental impact on the places of origin of these plants. Educate the consumers… I work for a botanical garden and am always conscious of how the plants _may_ have been collected. Thailand has a problem with orchid poachers.

[@SiblingRivalry772]

Completely agree with this sentiment!

[@nicholaskoenig3106]

I thot this video was a joke...! But I see that it is NOT. WILD...plant poachers. Wow theyre beaYOUtiful...!