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’s new documentary Seizure has drawn significant global attention following its premiere on 9 December on the Wildlife Justice YouTube channel. The award-winning short film provides a rare look into the inner workings of transnational organised crime networks involved in the trafficking of endangered species – one of the largest and most profitable forms of transnational organised crime.
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 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 »
Investigations Media releases News
Today, the BBC has published a special report highlighting the work of the Wildlife Justice Commission in Nigeria and the successes it has achieved in disrupting the trafficking of wildlife from the country, in partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). The report features an interview with the Wildlife Justice Commission’s Director of Programs Steve Carmody and Van, one of our female undercovers.
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.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) announced today that they have arrested eight suspects connected with the trafficking of pangolin scales and ivory from Nigeria.
Acting on local intelligence, the Nigeria Customs Service conducted an operation in Awoyaya on 2 February 2022, arresting four suspects and seizing 839.40 kilograms of pangolin scales and 145 kilograms of elephant ivory.
In 2020, Wildlife Justice Commission investigators were offered staggering quantities of pangolin scales, raising concerns about a post-COVID19 surge in trafficking.
World Pangolin Day 2021: The continuing threat of pangolin trafficking Read more »
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Our new criminal intelligence analysis Scaling Up: The Rapid Growth in the Industrial Scale Trafficking of Pangolin Scales (2016-2019) has been published today on the run up to World Pangolin Day.
The Pangolin Crisis Fund has issued a grant to the Wildlife Justice Commission in support of our investigations into the trafficking of pangolin scales.
Commonly referred to as the most trafficked mammal in the world, the plight of the pangolin looks bleak.
No rest for pangolins: Trafficking rates spike while crime displaces to new regions Read more »
News
The document presents the key findings or our 18-months investigation into the village of Nhi Khe, Viet Nam. It also discusses the outcome of efforts we undertook to establish a dialogue with the governments of Viet Nam and China and outlines the steps we took on the path of activating justice against the criminal network that our team identified.
Key Findings: Operation Phoenix Read more »
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