A package arriving at the Querétaro Intercontinental Airport in Mexico was concealing something. The sender intended to smuggle eight cacti, which are protected in that country.
Having one of these cacti at home is already illegal; imagine the consequences of trying to sell them. The fines are hefty.
When airport authorities, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA), and the National Guard inspected the package, they discovered eight peyote plants (Lophophora diffusa).
The Lophophora diffusa plant is considered an “endangered species.”
The science program “Teach Me Science” points out that extracting peyote without official permits or intending to sell it “through shipping companies or illegal exports” constitutes an environmental crime.
Anyone who violates the regulations regarding peyote will face the consequences stipulated in the General Wildlife Law.
They report that “the consequences include:
Fines of up to 3 million pesos (US$168,638.34)
Federal criminal proceedings and
Confiscation of the seized merchandise
What does a peyote cactus look like?
Peyote or Querétaro peyote. Image from www.cactusysuculentas.org
In Mexico, the plant Lophophora diffusa is known as peyote or Querétaro peyote. The website Enséñame de Ciencia (Teach Me Science) reports that it is a cactus species endemic to the country, specifically to the southern part of the state of Querétaro.
Its color is yellowish-green.
It has white or yellowish-white flowers and contains a substance called mescaline (a hallucinogen).
The Querétaro peyote measures 2 to 7 centimeters in height and 5 to 12 centimeters in diameter.
According to the aforementioned website, peyote grows in dry climates. semi-warm climate.
This plant is slow-growing, reports the FCN Botanical Garden of the Autonomous University of Querétaro.
“It has been reported that they grow between 0.5 and 1 centimeter per year; therefore, it takes 8 to 12 years for the plant to reach adulthood,” they add.
They lament that looting and illegal harvesting have significantly affected their populations. (I)
Source: eluniverso
