In 2021, a joint operation between the United States and the Democratic Republic of the Congo governments led to the arrest of two foreign nationals for wildlife trafficking in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The authorities seized 938 kg of ivory and 34 kg of pangolin scales, worth around $3.5 million USD. The indictment alleged that the defendants paid bribes to authorities in Kinshasa to allow them to ship the commodities, and that they intended to conceal larger shipments in timber or corn to avoid detection.