Daily Herald story

hope they make the person who dug it up pay the cost of sending it back

I doubt the person knew it was illegal. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt.

Why would anyone want to take this home when they can buy one at Walmart for $2.99?

That's one of the reasons why I posted that link, as some people may not know that.

Failure to declare may result in major fines.

To be fair, guessing a Popes Head is not available at Walmart - Popes Head [or Turks Cap] probably not something to pick up at Walmart, HD or Lowes
However that assumes the person transporting knew what they had vs just picking up a randon cactus

Regardless bad idea bring back plants, let alone disturbing plants growing naturally.

J&B

Not sure if the person claimed the plant on the customs form and got caught or didn't claim it and got caught during inspection. Perhaps it was their first time visiting and didn't know but when they ask you about plants on the form, that is a dead giveaway that something is up and they are asking for a reason! I couldn't even bring 2 apples (bought in the US but not eaten on island) back into the US.

It is a well known fact, you don't try to take plants, animals or fruit back to the US.

Actually, you can, but it does help to read the approved items. We brought back some turmeric root and were waved through after showing it to the Ag inspector.

Right, the article says there is not an absolute prohibition on ag products.

Declare everything if you have Global Entry. I read about a person having it revoked because they did not declare a package of peanuts...seriously.

Oh, we declare everything now that we have GE. Declaring peanuts seems over the top, especially if the airline provided them, but I tend to err on the side of caution anyway. Thanks for the heads up. When in doubt, we declare, but mostly just don't bring it in.

Honestly, I have a lot of difficulty believing that ANYONE could be so oblivious that they would think it is okay to dig up plants and take them home with you. Generally I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Really, I do. But in this case... Not so much.

I can see it. It's a cactus and there are hundreds of them, so what difference does it make if I take just one. Sort of like the collecting seashells mentality. I'd never do it, but I get the thought process.

I know this not a Hawaii board, but I know I have read that people who have dug up plants from there have a string of bad luck. The stories were pretty incredible, and the only way to stop the bad luck was to return the plant from where it was taken from.

Something about a witch doctor?