Law Enforcement Officials Eye New Approach to Wildlife Smuggling
Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, 10 p.m. EST
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| More than 50 law enforcement officials from 18 countries attended a workshop aimed at bolstering efforts to curtail wildlife smuggling. | In continuing efforts toward combating illegal wildlife smuggling, some international law enforcement officials are advocating for an increased use of "controlled deliveries," a surveillance tactic that allows law enforcement to identify those directing smuggling operations. To that end, more than 50 law enforcement representatives from 18 countries in Africa and Asia attended the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime workshop on Establishing a Network of Controlled Delivery Units for Forest and Wildlife Law Enforcement at the Shanghai Customs College in China in December.
While the confiscation of smuggled goods along a supply line prevents those items from reaching their final destinations, it rarely leads to the apprehension of those who direct and organize the smuggling, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, one of five ICCWC partners.
"The use of this enforcement technique will yield real results in bringing to justice those individuals who organize the smuggling of wildlife," said John Scanlon, secretary-general of CITES. "This workshop clearly demonstrates the added value of working together through the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime in taking up the fight against wildlife crime."
Under a controlled delivery, frequently employed in drug and tobacco smuggling, law enforcement authorities allow the contraband to continue through the supply chain and collect evidence at the various points in the chain from start to finish. The goal is to arrest and prosecute not only the carriers, but others in the supply chain, from the original poachers to manufacturers, processors, retailers and individuals.
The controlled delivery approach allows law enforcement to make stronger cases for additional crimes, such as money laundering and corruption. Other founding members of the ICCWC are Interpol, the United National Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank and the World Customs Organization.
In related news, CITES and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums signed a memorandum of understanding in late December to improve care for confiscated animals and to raise public awareness about CITES efforts.
"Illegal trade in animals is increasing and belongs, together with illegal drug traffic, to the most alarming illegal business," said Dr. Gerald Dick, executive director of WAZA. "WAZA and its members are commited to assist CITES in implementing animal trade regulations and ensuring the conservation of species affected by trade."
For example, the organizations noted that German customs officials in Cologne recently seized an illegal shipment of 570 exotic animals, including a critically endangered Indochinese box turtle and a critically endangered Burmese star tortoise, from Hong Kong. The animals were turned over to the Cologne Zoo, a WAZA member, for caretaking.
"Our collaboration with the WAZA network will assist CITES parties in meeting their obligations to care for confiscated animals and in the transport of live animals, which will be supported through enhanced training and capacity-building opportunities," Scanlon said.
The organizations said that cooperation between them will help ensure safe transport of wild animals between countries, whether for commercial trade, breeding, research or conservation purposes.
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Law Enforcement Officials Eye New Approach to Wildlife Smuggling
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