Cactus Poaching

On January 12th, the park received a report that several saguaros had been removed from an area adjacent to the park’s boundary. Initial investigation at the scene revealed that numerous saguaros had been dug up and that several had been cached near a road for later removal. At least two saguaros had been poached from park lands. Rangers conducted surveillance of the area that night and contacted two people who were transporting four saguaros in the back of their pick-up truck. A criminal investigation is currently underway for a variety of offenses, including Lacey Act violations. The saguaros involved are between five and seven feet tall and estimated to be 40 to 60 years old. An active commercial market exists for saguaros, both in Arizona and southern California. The FBI, Arizona Department of Agriculture and Pima County Sheriff’s Department are providing investigative assistance.  This incident, along with another recent cactus theft case in the Tucson area, has generated significant local media interest.