(a) Any person who intentionally violates any state or federal quarantine law or regulation is liable civilly as provided in Sections 5310 and 5311, and subdivision (c) of this section, and is subject to criminal or civil penalties, or both, pursuant to the Unfair Practices Act (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 17000) of Part 2 of Division 7) of the Business and Professions Code.
(b) Either of the following factual findings shall constitute prima facie evidence that a violation of any state or federal quarantine law or regulation pursuant to subdivision (a) is an intentional violation:
(1) A violation of Section 6401 and possession of a shipment, plant, or thing that is regulated by a state or federal quarantine law or regulation and that has not been inspected and released by a federal, state, or county quarantine official in either of the following circumstances:
(A) The plant or thing is found concealed from view.
(B) The person in possession has been found repeatedly in possession of those plants or things.
(2) A combination of findings showing that a person is in possession of a shipment, plant, or thing that is regulated by a state or federal quarantine law or regulation and that was fraudulently or secretly brought into the state and the person in possession is engaged in a business or other commercial activity where a reasonable expectation exists that the person was aware of the state or federal quarantine laws or regulations.
(c) Any person who negligently or intentionally violates any state or federal law or regulation, including any quarantine regulation, by importing any plant, or other article, that, by virtue of being pest or disease infested, causes an infestation of a plant, pest, or disease, or causes an existing infestation to spread beyond any quarantine boundaries, is liable civilly in a sum not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for each act that constitutes a violation of the law or regulation.
(d) The Attorney General, upon request of the secretary, shall petition the superior court to impose, assess, and recover the sum imposed pursuant to subdivision (c). In determining the amount to be imposed, the court shall take into consideration all relevant circumstances, including, but not limited to, the extent of harm caused by the violation and the nature and persistence of the violation.
(e) The remedy under this section is in addition to, and does not supersede or limit, any and all other remedies, civil or criminal, that are otherwise available to the state.
(f) Any funds recovered pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund for emergency pest or disease exclusion, detection, eradication, or research of agricultural plant or animal pests or diseases. These funds may be allocated to cover costs related to the enforcement of this division. These funds are in addition to any funds appropriated for those purposes pursuant to Section 224.
(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 157, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1996.)