Native plant bust

Native plant bust

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A Perth man is facing fines up to $20,000 after Mundijong Police caught him trying to allegedly harvest and sell native flora.

Earlier this month a man was charged with harvesting native flora from crown land with intention to sell the plants.

On August 2, Mundijong officers who were target patrolling and conducting quality vehicle stops in Oakford stopped the man routinely.

Police searched the man’s car and found six species of flora, including two types of banksias, arum lilies, eucalyptus and various other species.

Mundijong Police Senior Sergeant Darryl Brandis said DPAW officers attended the station where they identified the flora and took evidentiary samples to a botanist.

He also said the flora had been divided for alleged sale purposes.

“The suspect will be summonsed for the harvesting and intended sale of the plants,” he said.

“The penalty for this under the Bio Security Agricultural Management Act is a maximum penalty of $20,000 and one year imprisonment for the taking of the arum lilies and the same penalty exists for the sale of these plants without a licence.”

Snr Sgt Brandis said under the Wildlife Conservation Act the offender is also subject to a maximum penalty of $4000 per species as he intended to sell six species without a licence.