2 Men Are Charged with Trafficking The Plant's Roots, Which Sell for $500 A Pound
COLONIE --
Officers with the state Department of Environmental Conservation have charged two men with illegally hawking the precious ginseng root that former Soviet astronauts and gymnasts rely on during training and the Chinese believe increases sexual prowess.
Wild ginseng root grown in the Catskills is said to be the finest in the world, according to Douglas A. Schmid, a DEC senior forester.
But if it is dug before Sept. 1 or sold before Sept. 15 by anyone but a licensed dealer, it's a crime.
Leon W. Wilbur, 59, of Dresden in Washington County, and Alec Alberti, 53, of Windham in Greene County, were charged Monday with illegal ginseng trafficking, DEC officials said. Neither holds a dealer's license. Additional arrests are possible, officials said at a press conference Wednesday at DEC headquarters in Colonie.
Wilbur and Alberti are accused of purchasing 11 pounds of ginseng from "diggers" who prowl the woods and shady fields searching for the plant. The suspects intended to sell the dried product, which was seized in a Sept. 5 raid, to an undisclosed New England merchant, DEC Lt. Robert A. Henke said.
The plant's gnarled, pale brown root -- which can be chewed like snuff, ground for use in tea bags, and eaten in salads -- is said to slow aging, reduce stress, improve circulation and boost the immune system.
As its popularity has soared, so has its price -- and thetemptation to break the law to get a competitive harvesting edge.
Dried wild ginseng root, a herbaceous perennial, can sell for $500 a pound, Schmid said.
"They were shopping early to avoid the rush," Henke said of the suspects, who are charged with purchasing ginseng as early as July.
The laws limit when and where ginseng can be harvested and sold in order to preserve ginseng , a protected species. Diggers also are required to replant the seeds after harvesting the ginseng root. Harvesting the root and hand-planting the seeds can actually spur ginseng reproduction, offfficiials said, since the bright-red seeds might otherwise be plucked and eaten by hungry animals.
Both men were released on their own recognizance. Wilbur is scheduled to appear in Dresden Town Court Sept. 19. Alberti is expected to appear in Windham Town Court Oct. 11. If found guilty, they face fines of up to $250 and 15 days in jail for each plant illegally obtained.
- BY: Tracey Tully. Staff writer
- SOURCE: Times Union (Albany, NY)1996.09.12
|
Newsdesk