As we approach World Rhino Day tomorrow, I would like to highlight the threat to rhinos from transnational organised criminal networks and to recognise the progress that has been made in the fight against rhino horn trafficking over the past few years. While rhinos still face a number of threats, there is hope on the horizon.
Tag: wildlife trafficking
The Wildlife Justice Commission congratulates USFWS following the conviction of major wildlife trafficker Teo Boon Ching
Teo Boon Ching, one of the largest wildlife traffickers operating across the world, has been convicted of wildlife trafficking in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, and sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment.
Three Vietnamese and one Guinean charged with wildlife trafficking in Nigeria convicted and sentenced to six years imprisonment or fine payments
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.
The Wildlife Justice Commission publishes a new report on the key role of corruption in enabling wildlife crime
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.
New report sheds light on the key role of corruption in enabling wildlife crime
Since the creation of the Wildlife Justice Commission in 2015, a constant that has been observed in all intelligence-led investigations into wildlife trafficking across the globe is the role of corruption in enabling this form of organised crime. 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 2022 Annual Report
2022 was our most successful year since our founding in 2015. Our intelligence-led approach allowed us to secure major arrests in, amongst others, Nigeria, Mozambique and Thailand, to deepen our understanding of the criminal dynamics, and to share our expertise with law enforcement, policy makers, and practitioners across the globe.
Reflecting on 8 years of the Wildlife Justice Commission
This month marks our 8th anniversary. A good moment to reflect on how it all started in 2015: five staff members, one donor, two cases and an ambitious strategy to hold governments accountable for failing to address wildlife crime occurring in their own countries, through the mechanism of a Public Hearing in the City of Peace and Justice, The Hague.
New report by the Wildlife Justice Commission analyses how organised crime capitalises and exploits captive tiger facilities
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.
Wildlife Justice Commission publishes global threat assessment examining the current dynamics of rhino horn trafficking – and how to fight it
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.'
Wildlife Kingpin: The rise and fall of Ah Nam
From the Wildlife Justice Commission comes the first-ever in-depth analysis of a real-life investigation into the dark underbelly of wildlife crime. Our new original podcast series: “Wildlife kingpin: the rise and fall of Ah Nam”, follows a team of investigators on the hunt for one of Asia’s biggest traffickers of elephant and rhino products.
Wildlife Justice Commission publishes new report detailing the downfall of one of Vietnam’s biggest wildlife traffickers
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.
The Illicit Wildlife Trade: Developments, Responses, and Lessons Learned to Support SDG 15
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) joined the Wildlife Justice Commission in co-organising a session about innovative responses that target different stages in international trafficking flows.