Two wildlife traffickers have been convicted and sentenced in Madagascar following the seizure of 167 endangered radiated tortoises in Toliara, in an operation supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission.
The Wildlife Justice Commission today launches The cost of cute: How you can fight the illegal pet trade, a practical guide to help people understand the illegal pet trade, spot animals being trafficked, and report this widespread and lesser-known form of crime.
The cost of cute: Wildlife Justice launches new guide to fight the illegal pet trade Read more »
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Today, Wildlife Justice is publishing From inception to impact: 10 years of Wildlife Justice, reporting on a decade of investigations, law enforcement partnerships, and policy engagement to disrupt the organised criminal networks driving wildlife trafficking.
From inception to impact: New report charts 10 years of Wildlife Justice Read more »
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Four suspected wildlife traffickers have been arrested in Nigeria following a complex operation supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission, resulting in the seizure of 130.84 kg of ivory.
Four suspected wildlife traffickers arrested and 130 kg of ivory seized in Nigeria Read more »
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The Wildlife Justice Commission today published its 2025 Annual Report, marking a decade of intelligence-led investigations, policy leadership, and measurable impact in the global fight against wildlife crime.
Two suspected wildlife traffickers have been arrested in Liberia following operations supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission, resulting in the seizure of 735.5 kg of pangolin scales, representing up to 3,970 pangolins.
Two Liberian pangolin scale traffickers arrested in major wildlife trafficking operation Read more »
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The Wildlife Justice Commission welcomes the arrest of two suspects in Mozambique in connection with the murder of two South African nationals at Crooks Corner in the Pafuri region of Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Joint cross-border operation leads to arrests in Kruger murder case Read more »
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The Wildlife Justice Commission today welcomed the convictions by a Vietnamese court of two wildlife traffickers caught in possession of nearly one tonne of African pangolin scales.
Wildlife Justice Commission applauds conviction of Vietnamese pangolin scale traffickers Read more »
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A suspected wildlife trafficking kingpin, Shamsideen Abubakar, has been arrested in Nigeria following a joint operation involving the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Wildlife Justice Commission.
The Wildlife Justice Commission today launches Fighting Wildlife Crime: A Decade of Impact, a dynamic new multimedia web feature marking ten years of disrupting transnational organised crime and protecting endangered species.
Illegal logging and timber trafficking are driving the loss of the world’s forests and pose a serious threat to life on our planet. Thanks to a €1.26 million grant from the Postcode Lottery, made possible by its players across the Netherlands, the Wildlife Justice Commission will expand its intelligence-driven and law-enforcement focused approach to tackling timber trafficking.
The Wildlife Justice Commission will premiere its acclaimed short documentary Seizure on its official YouTube channel on 9 December 2025 at 19:00 CET. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Matt Durrant, the film offers a rare and gripping look into the hidden world of wildlife trafficking — one of the most profitable forms of transnational organised crime, and one that threatens species with extinction.
Wildlife Justice Commission to premiere ‘Seizure’ on 9 December Read more »
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The Wildlife Justice Commission welcomes the historic decisions taken at CITES CoP20 over the past two days to significantly strengthen global protections for threatened shark and ray species. These measures include the uplisting of oceanic whitetip sharks and whale sharks to Appendix I; new Appendix II listings for gulper sharks, smooth-hound sharks and tope sharks, and increased protections for ray species.
Wildlife Justice Commission welcomes uplistings of shark and ray species at CITES CoP20 Read more »
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The Wildlife Justice Commission
welcomes the conviction on 7 November 2025 of a wildlife trafficker illegally selling pangolin scales in Nigeria.
The conviction marks another significant outcome of Wildlife Justice’s partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to combat wildlife trafficking.
The Wildlife Justice Commission today published a new report examining whether wildlife trafficking is treated with the seriousness it deserves in national legal systems.
The report provides an assessment of how the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) has been incorporated into domestic legislation, and how effectively it is being implemented to tackle wildlife trafficking.
The Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) and Nigeria’s National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen Nigeria’s response to organised wildlife crime.
The Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) has published a new report revealing a remarkable and sustained disruption in the trafficking of pangolin scales and ivory from Africa to Asia. Titled Disruption and Disarray: An analysis of pangolin scale and ivory trafficking, 2015–2024, the report documents a sharp decline in significant seizures since 2020, pointing to a shift in the criminal landscape and the potential long-term impact of targeted law enforcement efforts.
In a major strike against wildlife trafficking in Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), arrested five suspects and seized 3.765 tonnes of pangolin scales in Lagos, an amount estimated to represent the killing of over 1,900 pangolins.
In a significant victory against transnational wildlife crime, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the arrest of a suspected high-level Chinese wildlife trafficker in Lagos. Acting on intelligence provided by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), NCS carried out the arrest on 19 February 2025. This operation represents a critical disruption to organised wildlife crime networks operating between Nigeria and Asia.
On 5 December 2024, a major operation led by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), with support from the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), has resulted in the arrest of a suspected pangolin scale broker and the seizure of 2.179 tonnes of pangolin scales, equivalent to approximately 1,100 pangolins.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), with support from the Wildlife Justice Commission, successfully conducted two major operations on 8 August 2024, resulting in the combined seizure of over 9.4 tonnes of pangolin scales and arrests of four suspects. These operations mark a significant achievement in the ongoing efforts to dismantle wildlife trafficking networks in Nigeria.
In a significant victory against rhino horn trafficking, Simon Valoi, also known as “Navara”, and Paulo Zucula, two notorious figures in the illegal rhino horn trade, have been convicted and sentenced respectively to 27 and 24 years in prison in Mozambique.
In a coordinated effort, the Special Wildlife Investigations Unit (SWIU), supported by Focused Conservation and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), successfully conducted a joint operation resulting in the arrest of four suspects and the seizure of 525 kilograms of pangolin scales in Monrovia, Liberia, on 10 July 2024.
Joint operation leads to four arrests and major seizure of pangolin scales in Liberia Read more »
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In a significant blow to global wildlife trafficking, the South African Police Service (SAPS), acting on intelligence from the Wildlife Justice Commission, has arrested Vietnamese wildlife trafficker Nguyen Huu Tao and his associate, Nico Scoltz, for allegedly attempting to illegally sell lions.
In a landmark joint operation, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission has successfully arrested two major wildlife traffickers in Nigeria. These arrests are linked to the significant seizure of 1.58 tonnes of ivory at Lach Huyen International Port, Hai Phong, Vietnam on 27 March 2024.
In a significant blow to the illegal live pet trade, Thai law enforcement agencies, acting on intelligence provided by the Wildlife Justice Commission, have executed a significant operation on 1 May 2024. The operation resulted in the arrest of six suspects and the seizure of 1,076 radiated tortoises and 48 lemurs, concealed within 41 boxes and 11 cages respectively, while being transported in a four-vehicle convoy in Chumphon Province, Southern Thailand.
The trial of two suspects accused of orangutan trafficking concluded in Indonesia on 26 February 2024 with a significant conviction. They had been arrested as a result of a joint investigation by the Wildlife Justice Commission and the INP aimed at dismantling orangutan supplier networks operating from Indonesia to Thailand.
Demonstrating the ongoing commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to combat wildlife crime, three suspected wildlife traffickers were apprehended in Nigeria on 4 February 2024, with a fourth arrest made on 6 February 2024. This successful operation was a joint intelligence-led investigation by the NCS and the Wildlife Justice Commission, targeting illicit wildlife supplier networks.
Arrest of four wildlife traffickers in joint operation with Nigeria Customs Service Read more »
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301 civil society organizations and experts from 99 countries across the globe signed an open letter urging the states that have ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to adopt a Resolution at the 10th UNCAC Conference of States Parties (CoSP 10) taking place next month in Atlanta, United States.
Today, the Wildlife Justice Commission published a new report on the convergence of wildlife crime with other forms of organised crime: Convergence of wildlife crime with other forms of organised crime: A 2023 Review.
In a joint intelligence-led operation with the Wildlife Justice Commission, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Special Wildlife Office and the Enforcement Team has arrested Mr Felix Maiva on 28 September. Mr Maiva was arrested in connection with the January 2021 seizure of illegal wildlife products from Apapa Port, Nigeria, which was bound for Haiphong, Vietnam.
On Wednesday 19 July, the trial of three Vietnamese and one Guinean national accused of trafficking 7.1 tonnes of pangolin scales and 850 kgs of ivory concluded in Nigeria with the conviction of the four accused. The judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Lagos sentenced the accused to six years of imprisonment each or payment of fines in lieu of imprisonment.
Last week, in Port Klang, Malaysia, the Wildlife Justice Commission supported the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in an operation targeting corrupt customs and other members of an international wildlife trafficking network with the support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Thailand.
Today, the Wildlife Justice Commission published a new report focusing on the role of corruption as one of the most important enabling factors behind wildlife crime, in an attempt to bring more clarity to this murky subject. Corruption is the air that wildlife crime breathes; it is one of the key enablers of widespread and large-scale wildlife trafficking and one of the biggest obstacles to effective law enforcement.
The Wildlife Justice Commission publishes today a new report, ‘To skin a cat: How organised crime capitalises and exploits captive tiger facilities’, examining the role of tiger facilities in enabling tiger-related wildlife crime in Southeast Asia.
The Wildlife Justice Commission published today a threat assessment, on the state of rhino horn trafficking and efforts to fight it over the past decade: ‘Rhino horn trafficking as a form of transnational organised crime (2012–2021): 2022 Global Threat Assessment.’
The Wildlife Justice Commission published today a report: “Ah Nam: The downfall of Vietnam’s Wolf of Wall Street”, informing of the rise and fall of one of Vietnam’s biggest Wildlife traffickers.
Law enforcement agencies globally must address rhino horn trafficking as a form of transnational organised crime along with an increased focus on the higher level actors in the rhino horn supply chain. This was the key message that emerged from a joint webinar hosted by WWF South Africa and the Wildlife Justice Commission to mark World Rhino Day 2022.
World Rhino Day 2022: Putting rhinos back on the radar Read more »
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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) announced today that they have arrested eight suspects connected with the trafficking of pangolin scales and ivory from Nigeria.
On 27 July 2022, the Wildlife Justice Commission provided support to the Serviço Nacional de Investigação Criminal (SERNIC) during the arrest of a well-known rhino horn trafficker, Simon Valoyi, also known as Navara. The Wildlife Justice Commission acknowledges the outstanding work of SERNIC in bringing this suspect to justice.
Arrest of Major rhino poaching trafficker in Mozambique Read more »
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The Wildlife Justice Commission released a new report on China’s largest ivory smuggling case, detailing the inner workings of a wildlife crime syndicate and what it took to bring it down. Discover the complexity of transnational organised crime and learn useful insights for law enforcement.
A blueprint for success: What it takes to bring down a global ivory trafficking network Read more »
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Arcadia has awarded the Wildlife Justice Commission a grant of EUR 1,000,000 to support its core operations in the coming five years, bolstering its mission to disrupt and help dismantle the transnational criminal networks trading in wildlife, timber, and fish.
This new operation follows up on the one effected last July into the criminal network believed to be responsible for more than 50% of the major global ivory and pangolin seizures between 2018-2021.
The Wildlife Justice Commission congratulates the Nigeria Customs Service for this successful operation, the ninth largest pangolin scale seizure in three years.
The Dutch Postcode Lottery has awarded the Wildlife Justice Commission with a EUR 1.9 million grant for a three-year project addressed to build and strengthen intelligence capacity to fight wildlife crime in protected areas of Southeast Asia.
Dutch Postcode Lottery new grant to the Wildlife Justice Commission Read more »
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International cooperation is needed to drive an intelligence-led law enforcement approach to deter the trafficking of ivory across the region, says the organisation
Investigation by the Wildlife Justice Commission reveals the displacement of ivory Read more »
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The Wildlife Justice Commission has released today an assessment on the impact that global measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 are having on wildlife trafficking dynamics.
The Wildlife Justice Commission has released today, on the run up to Pangolin Day, the report Scaling Up: The Rapid Growth in the Trafficking of Pangolin Scales (2016-2019).
The report details our Operation Dragon, a 2-year investigation (2016-2018) into the multi-million-dollar illegal trade of endangered reptile species in South and Southeast Asia and the scale of the corruption that enables it.
The two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a framework for cooperation, develop joint endeavours and exchange information with regards to transnational wildlife crime.
The Wildlife Justice Commission and National Whistleblower Center form partnership Read more »
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