[HiTech RedNeck]

Let all with international businesses be warned: the Federales play like thugs for very little reason.

I believe I heard of this or a similar incident a few months back, but it sounded then as though the problem had to do with sending the flowers to other countries rather than with obtaining them. If the Norrises had had the flowers drop shipped from a foreign wholesaler that would be still another ball of wax. I don’t know why this didn’t result in a mere probation, unless it’s the Bush philosophy (stomp on your friends).

[classified]

I know it's virtually impossible to come into the country with fresh foods or vegt./plants so I would think the rules are the same in importing raw foods, vegt/plants. I'm sure whoever was shipping the orchids to the Norris family knew of the laws.

Perhaps the Norris family decided to wave the red-tape thinking it was a minor thing, took a short cut and ending up paying...a price of monumental proportions.