In September 2022, a kingpin of wildlife trafficking – Boonchai Bach – was sentenced to five years in prison for wildlife trafficking. While Bach remains on the run from authorities, the case was a breakthrough for criminal cases against wildlife traffickers, marking a turn from a previous attempt to convict Bach in 2018 that was thrown out by the courts.  A professional smuggler controlling the Thai gateway via Laos to Vietnam, Bach and his family were involved in trafficking contraband from rhino horn to ivory from Africa. In some cases, Thai sex workers were used to smuggle the teeth and claws of lions out of South Africa, with the assistance of a corrupt airline worker in Johannesburg and a corrupt airport official in Bangkok. Following the first failed attempt to convict Bach, police pivoted to anti money-laundering tactics, using wealth investigations to identify criminal activity. They have since seized his vehicles and some US$11 millions in assets. Police and prosecutors hope that data from Bach’s seized assets can be utilised to build a larger, multi-country case.