Case Study
Colombia
Associated commodity
Associated commodity
Associated commodity
Associated crime
Source
Illegal wildlife traffickers’ use of cryptocurrency

In 2023, Colombian authorities shut down 40-50 warehouses near Bogota Airport, arresting 15 people and confiscating illegal wildlife worth about $12 million USD. According to a Guardian article on the case, the warehouses were used by a Chinese-run operation which was sending cryptocurrency to Colombia in exchange for animals from the Amazon rainforest.

Keywords
Colombia, Cryptocurrency, Organised Crime, Illegal Wildlife Trade, Amazon, China: Commodity Supply, Latin America, South East Asia & Pacific