New documentary exposes criminal networks driving wildlife 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.
Led by Wildlife Justice Chief of Investigations Steve Carmody, Seizure follows a global team of investigators, analysts, and undercover operatives as they work to dismantle the transnational criminal networks profiting from wildlife trafficking. Filmed across multiple continents, the documentary captures how Wildlife Justice’s intelligence-led model transforms information into enforcement, leading not only to seizures but arrests, prosecutions, and convictions.
Seizure tells the story of a real-time investigation into a criminal network selling the scales of pangolins, one of the world’s most trafficked mammals. What begins as a tip about an illegal shipment unravels into a multinational operation that exposes the supply chains, financial flows, and key actors behind this billion-dollar trade.
“Seizure is more than a film — it’s a window into how Wildlife Justice works to dismantle the criminal networks driving wildlife trafficking,” said Olivia Swaak-Goldman, Executive Director of the Wildlife Justice Commission. “This is what intelligence-led enforcement looks like in practice: building cases, following the money, and bringing traffickers to justice so that organised crime no longer drives species to extinction.”
Following its highly successful festival run, Seizure has been recognised internationally, winning:
- Best Short Documentary – Swedish International Film Festival
- Best Short Documentary – Activists without Borders Film Festival
- Best Documentary – New Media Film Festival
Now, for the first time, the Wildlife Justice Commission is making Seizure freely available worldwide via YouTube to maximise accessibility and awareness of the urgent need to tackle wildlife crime as serious organised crime.
“The illegal wildlife trade is not just a conservation issue, it’s a criminal justice issue,” added Swaak-Goldman. “Through intelligence-driven investigations and partnerships with law enforcement, we’re transforming the enforcement landscape and proving that wildlife crime can be stopped.”
This film was made possible with the generous support of the Dutch Postcode Lottery and its players.
Premiere details:
- Date & time: 9 December 2025, 19:00 CET / 13:00 EST / 10:00 PST
- Where: Wildlife Justice’s YouTube channel
- Click here to sign up for the Seizure premiere and receive the YouTube link.
Media access:
- Embargoed screener link, stills, and press kit: available upon request.
- Interview requests: Olivia Swaak-Goldman, Steve Carmody and the production team (including director Matt Durrant) are available for interviews under embargo.
