Ginseng – Warden's Watch

In Appalachian Ohio and beyond, ginseng hunting is a centuries-old tradition. Prized for its medicinal value and prestige, American ginseng was one of America’s first exports to the Far East. Today, highly regulated but harvested to near extinction, its value has only increased, setting the stage for a black market that often results in arrests, prison time, and tragedy.

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Here’s what we discuss:

Kevin’s ongoing recovery and recent activities
Investigation began in Ohio in 2012, when a family reported an overdue hiker
Bobby Joe Grubbs had been dropped off for a walk, but did not return
Grubbs was known to police
Sherrif’s office pinged cell phone
Phone was located on 87-year-old Joseph Kutter’s property
Property owner gave police permission to search, but nothing was found
Cell phone had dialed 911 but disconnected
Kutter’s property featured a meticulously tended ginseng patch
A second search was launched using cadaver dogs
Dogs alerted on a loader bucket
Kutter immediately confessed to shooting Grubbs
Claimed Grubbs was stealing ginseng
A confrontation ensued and Kutter fired his weapon
Kutter then moved the body twice in the following days
Autopsy revealed ginseng in Grubbs’ pockets – and a business card
Grubbs had called family to report finding “the mother lode” of ginseng
Kutter pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter
Case highlights the mindsets of both ginseng growers and poachers
Easy money from ginseng often funds drug habits
Ginseng hunting (and poaching) can be a way of life passed down through generations
Black market is unnervingly similar to the drug trade

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Art & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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Kirk Kiefer has been a wildlife investigator with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the past 15 years. In this episode, he walks us through Operation “Root of All Evil,” a lengthy and complex investigation into the illegal ginseng trade that spanned multiple states, included unmarked vehicles, extended surveillance, buys and sales by undercover officers, and even a fake business.