https://www.theguardian.com/en...

Interesting article! Thanks Alice!

I am wondering about this though

In the US, New York Botanical Garden is a designated plant rescue centre. When the US Fish and Wildlife Service finds shipments of orchids that lack the paperwork to prove they were either cultivated or sustainably collected from the wild, they are sent to a plant rescue centre. If the country of export does not request their return within 30 days, they are incorporated into the institution's collection, but remain US government property.

I have heard stories that those plants were pretty much dead after those 30 days mentioned here.

I wondered about that also and have always been curious about what happens to confiscated plants. One would think they would at least water them but perhaps they are not touched at all during that period.

I always thought US Customs incinerated All confiscated plant material. Netflix Border Patrol documentaries show this.

They do not incinerate orchids in NYC!! Or anywhere else I believe. Just rumors.
My former student judge that I mentored works as the Tropical Plant and Orchid Curator at the Bronx Botanical Garden. Once the material is confiscated it does not go back to the country of origin. Nor is it ever forwarded on to the person or persons who ordered them in the first place. They go directly to the garden where Marc and his staff try to save as many as they can. Success ranges from zero saved to sometimes 50, 60, 80%. They do a great job. Many times these exporters were shipping exotic, rare orchids like Telipogons, Draculas and others as Cattleyas or Phalaenopsis hoping that the plant entry people were dumb enough not to know the difference. But you have it on my officially stamped Okie-Dokie form that these guys are well cared for!!!
Honest injun!!!

That sounds better!

Netflix Border Patrol????
PLEASE!!
Don't believe everything from Netflix.

Come on Glenn. It just so happens I have 2 Ocean Front lots in Iowa that you might be interested in!

Good to know they are not just composted.

I don't know if it's true, or not, but I heard (years ago) that illegal orchids found a home at the San Diego Zoo orchid house. I was a member for years, but never went to the "orchid house". Ca. probably has as many plants smuggled in to the USA as the east coast, and we do have check points between states, but our focus is more on illegal aliens than plants, and if you look respectable, they trust you when moving from state to state. That is probably how those insect carried diseases travel from Fl. to Ca.
Considering what's happening right now, and politics aside, there is no way for total control. The best option (in my opinion) is education. We're all about Technology training these days, but like all the ways to make money, that will tank in the job market at some point. We need to get back to the sciences ,including Earth sciences.

Ok, that's my rant for the day.

Well it could be true in the sense that it could house the orchids that are confiscated at either LA Intrenational.or San Diego airport. Maybe both.
They don't realease confiscated orchids to any facility without proper vetting. So if they have orchids, they are certified growers/rescuers and are allowed to possess them. Display them too but they MUST retain possession of them!! No leeway there at all.

I hate rumor spreaders. Stop listening to rumors. Those people are speaking from their butt holes, pardon my French! Those rumors are being spread by jealous hobbyists.
You can't disperse seized orchids! That's a fact.
Oh, I should have mentioned this yesterday that those confiscated plants have special metal tags placed on them within the Botanical Garden. They are subjected to random inspections by the Federal agent where inventories are taken. I think I remember Marc saying that all fatalities needed to be documented and naturally the numbers had better add up!