Criminal Enforcement Under the Plant Protection Act of 2000: A “New” Weapon in the Environmental Enforcement Arsenal
March 1, 2011
Environmental Enforcement and Crimes Committee Newsletter
Types : Bylined Articles
A package arrives at a local post office labeled “toys, gifts, and gellies,” yet when postal workers examine the package, they hear scratching sounds and, upon opening, discover twenty-five live beetles. The beetles from the package feed on the aerial portion of plants, while the larvae feed on roots, such that if they were to escape, they could cause serious economic and environmental harm. To prosecute such a crime, the government turns to a relatively obscure sanction that is increasingly the subject of criminal actions by the Department of Justice: the criminal provisions within the Plant Protection Act of 2000 (PPA), 7 U.S.C. § 7734. United States v. DiLullo, No. 08-cr-761 (E.D. Pa.).
Complete text for this article can be found on pages 16-18 of the attached newsletter.