Six Arrested for Plant Trafficking

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have arrested six persons charged with crimes related to the illegal importation of internationally protected cycads.

Cycads, which resemble palms or tree ferns, are a small group of primitive-looking plants whose ancestors date back more than 200 million years. Certain species face threats in the wild from habitat loss and over-collection.

Cycads are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)