Overview

• Kirsten Mae Fearn pleaded guilty to 14 biosecurity charges at Brisbane Magistrates Court after repeatedly misdeclaring packages as lingerie and shoes to conceal 57 cacti and succulents shipped from Hong Kong.
• A subsequent search of her Brisbane home nursery uncovered an additional 50 illegal succulents, revealing a smuggling operation that ran from February 2021 to March 2024.
• Despite facing a potential maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and fines up to $660,000, she received a six-month term suspended on a recognisance release order requiring good behaviour.
• Deputy Secretary Justine Saunders said the decision to prosecute underscored the severity of biosecurity threats posed by non-compliant plant imports.
• Authorities intend the outcome to deter similar schemes and signal continued targeted inspections of air cargo and mail for prohibited biological material.