In 2016-2019, the Wildlife Justice Commission conducted "Operation Dragon," a covert investigation that uncovered an extensive tortoise trafficking network spanning India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand. The operation identified 200 persons of interest and exposed eight criminal networks specialising in smuggling Indian star tortoises. A key breakthrough came when investigators recorded notorious wildlife trafficker Wasim Sheriff (alias Machli) attempting to sell 560 tortoises in a Bangkok mall, boasting of connections with airport insiders across multiple countries. This led to his arrest in October 2017 with 1,012 tortoises.