Economic Meltdown (seconda parte)

[Zenda]

Norris case was not such a good example of a blithely innocent wrong-doer

From your own link:

"But the record shows that it is extremely deceptive (or sloppy) to describe him as 'not having proper paperwork' or 'failing to navigate' bureaucratic requirements. The record shows that Norris conspired deliberate to violate, deliberately violated, and lied about those bureaucratic requirements. It’s one thing to say that bureaucratic requirements are ridiculous and burdensome; it’s quite another to say that someone is an innocent victim of circumstance when they knowingly and deliberately violate them."

Norris was not involved in plundering the fauna of Peru, but rather the technicality of buying a CITES protected species from an unlicensed Peruvian greenhouse.

And still you keep defending him.

First of all, he was in violation of the (American) Endangered Species Act, not just CITES. Secondly, the grower in Peru WAS licensed to sell Phragmipedium, as long as the plants were cultivated and not collected in the wild (CITES doesn't even prohibit trading in cultivated plants). Regarding plundering the fauna, how would you know he wasn't involved?

As for legalization of Phragmipedium peruvianum, check out the Wikipedia.

Wrong orchid. Norris never smuggled Phragmipedium Peruvianum (also known as P. Kovachii), as far as we know. But he did get caught for smuggling other illegal plants after he told buyers he could 'arrange' for some P. Kovachii, when this species was still very much protected (in 2003), and very pricy on the black market (discovery was in 2002).

Arias, 70, was one of three Peruvian growers with permission to cultivate endangered and newly discovered orchids from recently deforested areas.

Yes, and now there only two such growers, because Arias allowed himself to get criminally involved with Norris.

the arrests were made with "a multi-agency SWAT-style armed raid"

Could that be related to the well-armed citizens with out-spoken hatred towards authorities in your country?