In September 2023, Colombian police seized over 200 young caimans – small relatives of alligators that are endemic to the wetlands and rivers of South America – from a small town called Sucre. They found the reptiles crowded in a damp pit at the back of the property, poached from local rivers. Young caimans are in particular demand for the high fashion market as their leather is more supple and thus more valuable. Despite growing efforts from authorities, however, it has been difficult to convict traffickers – police reported that they had caught the suspect in this case four times already, and there are suspected ties to the Gulf Clan, Colombia’s largest drug cartel, which may be involved in and be receiving a cut from reptile trafficking.