While I do not condone violent federal raids on non-violent suspects, there is some interesting botanical intrigue behind this raid.
read Pittman, C. "The Case of the Purloined Orchid." Sarasota Magazine, Mar 2005.
http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/Articles/Sarasota-Magazine/2005/03/The-Case-of-the-Purloined-Orchid.asp?ht=
see the orchid photos and some more detailed botanical history here:
http://www.ottawaorchidsociety.com/september_2007.pdf
Summary of a little more research:
The orchid in question, Phragmipedium kovachii, has been called the most important orchid discovered in the last 100 years, and is mired in controversy.
This incredible orchid flower, which can range between 5-9 inches in diameter, was originally found wild in remote Peru, with plants being sold in a roadside stand for a dollar each. The great value was later realized and the few original populations of plants were stripped from the wild. Thus the need for CITES protections.
The first reports of plants (illegally) for sale in the US had an initial price tag of $10,000; they are now legally retailing for $100 to $400 each. So we are not talking about some little fig cuttings from your backyard here, this is high end business.
Even the name of the orchid is in great contention. An individual plant was purchased from that roadside stand, imported without permits by Mike Kovach of Virginia, and had been submitted for ID and naming at Selby Botanical Gardens in Florida. They confirmed it was new, and named it Phragmipedium kovachii, after Mr. Kovach.
Publishing the new name of a previously undescribed plant is a big deal in the botany/taxonomy world. It was then quite a shock that this publication was just 5 days before Dr. Eric Christenson, an orchid taxonomist who used to work for Selby Botanical Gardens, had detailed photographs of the new orchid that he received from colleagues in Peru, was about to publish his own article on the plant for the American Orchid Society, naming it Phragmipedium peruvianum (after it's country of origin). So feeling cheated, Dr. Christenson, and the Peruvian government, (aware of the new species botanical rarity, and $ exploitation potential), demanded enforcement of the CITES protections- this got everyone in trouble.
This raid on Kovach, and then Selby Gardens, in 2002, was big news as it resulted in convictions, fines and years of probation. You would think that anyone that is into rare orchids would know that you can get in big trouble with this plant. Remember this is before there was any $ involved yet (excepting perhaps donations and grants to the Botanical gardens based on it's status, or loss of income due to it's disrepute)
A couple years later when the raid happened to Mr Norris in Texas, and later to the permitted orchid grower from Peru, (Manuel Arias-Silver, who was supplying the plants), the two were alleged to have been conspiring to use permitted Phragmipedium kovachii orchids (valued at $40,000) to conceal un-permitted species orchids- some even wild collected, (valued at an additional $45,000) breaking the $50,000 valuation sentencing guidelines ( the higher the value the more severe the sentence). Perhaps another factor in the harshness of penalty is that someone who has a permit (that is, you trust) and 'cheats' is thought to be more offensive than someone who doesn't have a permit at all? All this put Mr Norris in prison for 17 months and years of probation, wrecking his life.
I see the importance of protecting plants in the wild from economic destruction, but Mr. Norris' plight obviously originates with a lot of politics between the Peruvian government who oversees the permitting of the Peruvian growers, and the USFWS enforcement of CITES, wanting to make an example of folks dealing in endangered species, and a frustrated taxonomist who was 5 days too late on the naming of a very valuable orchid.
On moving plants around-
The tasks of protecting endangered species and keeping pests out are important. We all know how devastating new pests can be in our own gardens.
I saw this very well in the unique ecologies of the Hawai'ian islands, where they didn't even have mosquitos, before they were brought there by accident, still no snakes! Just within the last 10 years , rare native species are disappearing, while newcomers have arrived like fire ants, stinging caterpillars, 90 decibel frogs, and 'rat lung worm disease' that causes devastating spinal meningitis, just by eating some lettuce that has some slug slime on it.
The moral of the story:
Don't mess around with endangered species smuggling, work through only 'legitimate' sources, comply with local disease and pest quarantines in your area, and your little commercial fig nursery should be OK. Things get serious when $ starts changing hands!
Even for us casual growers trading material, it is good to know how to protect our own gardens from pests and disease.
Good luck!