Prime Airport Services fined $1 million for importing plant pests

Prime Airport Services Inc., a ground cargo handler at Miami International Airport, has pled guilty to two counts of importing plants and plant pests, in violation of the Plant Protection Act. Immediately after the plea, U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro sentenced Prime Airport Services to a $1 million fine. The conviction of Prime Airport Services represents the first felony case for violation of the Plant Protection Act nationwide.
On May 7, 2006, Customs and Border Protection detected the pest coleoptera on 198 kilograms of imported hydrangeas in the custody of Prime Airport Services and put the flowers on hold. Despite the hold, Prime Airport Services released the pest-laden hydrangeas to their buyer.
On Dec. 3, 2006, Prime Airport Services received 685 kilograms of imported asparagus. Two weeks later, Customs and Border Protection discovered the asparagus next to an open-air dumpster. The boxes and insect-proof mesh holding the asparagus were broken and torn.
Enacted on June 20, 2000, in response to the outbreak of citrus canker, the Plant Protection Act requires importers of plants and plant products to follow regulations designed to stem the release of noxious plant pests.