Portillo is not alone.

From: Phil Bunch pbunch at cts.com> on 2001.07.28 at 03:15:48(7170) There is an article in the San Diego Union Tribune today from AP on 11 people charge with smuggling orchids and cycads. It appears that Mr. Portillo is only a small fish in a rather large pool. This is not to say that he was part of the reported bust, but he may have been caught up in the overall investigation. The text of the article follows and may be accessed at: +More http://www.uniontrib.com/news/uniontrib/fri/index.html Follow the "More news stories inside . . ." link at the bottom of the page. 11 are charged with smuggling $840,000 in protected plants ASSOCIATED PRESS July 27, 2001 SAN FRANCISCO -- Eleven people have been charged in four plant-smuggling schemes totaling more than $840,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The indictments, unsealed Wednesday, stem from an undercover investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Arrested were: Peter H. Heibloem, 47, of Queensland, Australia; Ernest J. Bouwer, 56, of Sandton, South Africa; Donald Joseph Wiener, 64, of Mexico; Rolf D. Bauer, 44, of Johannesburg, South Africa; and Jan Van Vuuren, 54, of Centurion, South Africa. Heibloem, Bouwer and Wiener face charges of conspiracy, smuggling and making false statements. They, along with three other men who were not identified, are accused of sending $542,000 worth of protected cycads to the United States from South Africa, Australia and Zimbabwe. Cycads, which resemble palms or tree ferns, are a small group of protected, primitive plants. Bauer and Van Vuuren are charged with conspiracy, smuggling and making false statements. They're accused of using invalid permits to send more than $300,000 worth of cycads to the United States from South Africa. Antonius Juniarto of Surabaya, Indonesia, and Iwan Kolopaking, 32, of Jakarta, Indonesia, face the same charges for shipping several packages of rare orchids falsely labeled as toys into the United States from Indonesia. The two men remain at large. Terence Leung of Hong Kong was charged with smuggling orchids from Hong Kong into the United States. Orchids and cycads are protected by the Endangered Species Act. Copyright 2001 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.

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