LOL. That's also what I thought when I read the headline. I thought it was a story about out-of-control church organists or something.
Cordially,
Not to stifle your exceedingly facile sense of humour, but organ pipes are quite delicate and very costly to make. Which is why large pipe organs are such expensive, precision instruments to build and maintain. Of course, the LARGER pipes in a given rank would be very difficult to conceal - and thus "smuggle." Plus, one would have to "smuggle" an entire, intact rank of pipes for them to have much actual value. You don't conceal such goods in coffee cans or backpacks.
As for "organ pipe" cacti, these Giant Saguaros ARE getting smuggled, too, but not from this particular National Monument. Not long ago there was a very large crackdown on people who would drive out into the AZ deserts at night and play The Adopt-A-Saguaro Game. Saguaro poachers (which is what they were called) were charging up to a GRAND per cactus. Considering how long it takes these
saguaros to grow - as long as 70 years just for the first arm to appear - cutting them down means that it will be a century at least before another grows up to replace it.
Michael
There was a revival in theater pipe organs a few years ago. I thought this might indicate another increase in interest, but black market organ pipes wouldn't seem to be a lucrative sideline.