46 protected cacti seized on Basel’s border with France
Published: Thursday, Apr 25th 2024, 10:30
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Customs officers have seized a vehicle with 46 protected cacti at the Basel border with France. The car with Swiss license plates had previously tried to evade inspection.
The seizure took place on April 14, as reported by the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) on Thursday. The employees had noticed a vehicle at the Burgfelderstrasse border crossing that had turned around shortly before customs. At the nearby Hegenheimerstrasse border crossing, however, the car fell into the clutches of the employees.
They found several cacti in the German driver's vehicle that are protected under the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Various specimens of the genus Lophophora were also among them. According to the communiqué, species of this genus contain mescaline and therefore fall under the Narcotics Act. They are prohibited in Switzerland.
The cacti were seized for the attention of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), which will decide on further measures.
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