In May 2019, the South African Police Service initiated an undercover operation called ‘Operation Crassula,’ focused on succulent poaching, where agents were engaged in negotiations and transactions amounting to millions between buyers of protected plant species. Operation Crassula was terminated in May 2021 after successfully seizing Eriosperum plants valued at R50 000. But it seems … Continue reading Succulent syndicates: the dark side of the garden