Surprise justice

Cactus plugging is the practice of vandalizing or destroying a cactus, usually a saguaro for fun. Typically the cactus is cut open, drained, then packed with explosives and ignited. In another variation, the vandal simple shoots bullets into the cactus body until portions fall off or the entire cactus falls over.

In one notorious incident in 1982, David Grundman was killed when an arm of the saguaro he was "plugging" fell on him.

The act of cactus plugging, if performed on a saguaro, is illegal. In any case, it is a particularly destructive form of vandalism as saguaros require over a hundred years to reach a substantial height.