In 2023, two of the largest wildlife traffickers in the country were charged with the illicit exploitation of natural resources following search and seizure operations in Cali (Valle del Cauca). The two men allegedly sold exotic and endangered species illegally via social media and WhatsApp groups. Each post included pictures of the captive animals for sale, and they allegedly intended to deliver these to buyers across Colombia. The investigation found that a large number of the wildlife were invasive species that had been illegally smuggled into the country, thus disobeying legal protocols and requirements and endangering local ecosystems. In a building in the La Primavera neighbourhood, the investigation found an Asian python and two Colombian mud turtles. In another household in the Camilio-Decepaz neighbourhood, the authorities rescued two tropical gar fish, a Mexican axolotl, an eel and two Arrau turtles. The animals remained in the care of Cali’s environmental authorities until their possible reintegration into their natural habitat was assessed. 

In 2018, a US gold refinery pled guilty to failing to maintain an adequate anti-money laundering program. According to the investigation, between August 2012 and November 2016, the company purchased and refined billions of dollars’ worth of gold sourced from countries worldwide. The company operated transnationally in regions such as Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. The international gold trade is at high risk of money laundering linked to illegal mining, narcotics, or other criminal activities. Given this high risk, US federal law requires any precious metal dealers to have anti-money laundering programmes in place. The company was subject to this law and aware of its obligations; however, it failed to develop, implement or maintain an anti-money laundering program. The evidence showed that the company had accepted gold from entities without requesting identification or adequate identification and accepted gold from suppliers and countries whose records indicated a high likelihood of gold smuggling and front companies. The company accepted gold from sources where open-source information suggested it was criminally derived, and failed to request, obtain or adequately preserve chat records between gold suppliers and the company’s agents. The company forfeited $15,000,000 to the state, agreed to develop an adequate compliance program and was subjected to a 5-year probation where the company was forbidden to purchase metals from outside the United States. 

In 2022, the Public Prosecutor’s Office seized 47.66kg of gold in a customs warehouse, which was awaiting export to India. The gold bars were valued at 10.7 million soles (approximately $3.1 million). The warrant for the search and seizure occurred after reports sent in by the customs officers, which suggested the gold could be linked to illegal mining and money laundering. One of the companies involved had exceeded over $5 million worth of gold exports; however, the same company had a share capital of only 110,000 soles ($31,500). This was insufficient to be able to trade and export gold bars due to their high market value. The second and third companies involved were equally unable to provide conclusive proof of the legal origin of the gold. The gold was therefore seized and transferred to the bank that represents the Peruvian government, Banco de la Nación, with help from the Anti-Money Laundering Division. 

In 2015, a foreign man was charged with crimes against wildlife in Ecuador for his involvement in illegal wildlife trafficking. The man was detained after he allegedly tried to remove 11 iguanas—9 marine and 2 land-based—which are protected species from the Galápagos Archipelago. According to the authorities, the reptiles were found in the man’s suitcase when the police carried out a routine check. The defendant allegedly intended to transport the animals to an African country. The iguanas were transferred to the care of the Galápagos National Park Directorate and examined by a veterinarian. 

In 2020, the two alleged ringleaders of a criminal network dedicated to illegal mining in the ‘Telembí Triangle’ were charged with money laundering and bribery, amongst others. The investigation revealed that the various illegal mining operations extracted up to 2kg of gold a month, which were then legalised through various trading companies. As a result, some of the alleged members of the network had reported a 60 to 110% increase in their income. 12 assets belonging to the two ringleaders were seized – including six properties, a vehicle, a commercial establishment and 4 bank accounts – valued at $6.5 billion COP (approximately $1.6 million USD).

In 2021, the authorities arrested 20 alleged members of a criminal organisation accused of laundering $1.3 billion Colombian pesos – approximately $323,000 USD. The organisation allegedly contacted low-income miners who didn’t have the infrastructure to extract gold and offered them services to commercialise and export the gold. The network allegedly falsified the gold origin certificates for the illicit gold, which made the millions worth of gold exports to the USA and Colombia’s free trade zones appear legal. The evidence revealed that 8.1 tonnes of gold extracted from mines in Antioquia, Chocó, Caldas, Bolívar and Córdoba were exported abroad between 2015 and 2021.

In 2022, the Public Prosecutor’s Office charged a man with money laundering after he was caught transporting 36kg of gold ingots without any permits or legal documentation. Police officers intercepted the vehicle at the La Gómez toll, situated between Lizama (Santander) and San Alberto (Cesar). During the inspection, the officers found the gold hidden in the truck’s rear fender. The 36kg of gold seized have an estimated value of $8.5 billion COP, equivalent to approximately $2.1 million USD.

In 2021, 15 people were arrested for their role in illegal gold mining in the rural area of Llano Gordo de Dabeiba (Antioquia). The illegal mining activity caused serious environmental harm due to the lack of control measures and indiscriminate dumping of toxic waste – including dangerous chemical substances such as sodium cyanide and zinc – in the Quiparadó River. This resulted in the loss of the topsoil and subsoil in at least six square hectares. Alongside the illegal waste dumping, the investigation revealed that it the activity was generating $3 billion COP (approximately $750,000 USD) a month to the ‘Clan del Golfo’ – a neo-paramilitary group and Colombia’s largest drug cartel – who allegedly demanded money to allow the operation to continue and the gold to be exported.

In 2017, 4 people were arrested for their participation in a criminal group that operated six illegal mines in Mistrató (Risaralda). The group extracted large amounts of silver and gold, as well as industrial minerals such as uranium and mercury; this polluted the water sources that many indigenous communities in Mistrató rely on in the process. The investigation established that the organisation had obtained permission to mine in the region by bribing local indigenous leaders.

In 2018, the Public Prosecutor’s Office discovered that a protected area of the Colombian Amazon had been subjected to indiscriminate felling of native forests, destruction of wildlife habitats, and poaching by a group posing as an Indigenous community. Upon investigation, the authorities found that the activities had been orchestrated by a criminal network known as Los Herederos. Their actions can be traced back to 2011, when the ringleaders obtained a copy of colonial public deed No. 509, dated January 13, 1906. In that document, the Spanish Crown returned 293,647 hectares of land to the Indigenous communities of San Bartolomé de Males. Using this document, the network falsely proclaimed themselves as an Indigenous community under the name Gran Jardín de la Sierra. To appear legitimate, they used the logo of a legally recognized Indigenous community with rights over the ancestral territory in question. The alleged criminals then sold property titles ranging from $150,000 to $15,000,000 COP (approximately $37 to $3,800 USD). They promised buyers official recognition as Indigenous people, which would entitle them to healthcare and education subsidies, and exempt their children from compulsory military service. In all known cases, none of the victims ever received legal ownership of the land or formal Indigenous status. The scheme spanned 8 locations, affecting over 3,500 families and more than 12,000 individuals, across at least 40 documented cases. 

In 2022, six alleged members of an illegal trafficking network dedicated to trafficking hydrobiological species were arrested in Bogotá. The group are said to have illicitly extracted protected fish from Vichada and the Amazon and would subsequently sell them to exotic animal collectors and aquarium owners across the USA, China, Hong Kong and Germany, amongst other destinations in Asia and Europe. The organisation – who had been undertaking this illicit activity since 2018 – would group the fish and send them as packages from Bogotá’s El Dorado Airport. The evidence showed they removed 1,000-2,000 endangered or vulnerable fish a week. The defendants were charged with conspiracy, illicit exploitation of natural resources, illegal fishing activities, and illicit handling of exotic species, charges that they all accepted by the defendants.

In 2019, the Public Prosecutor's Office identified serious environmental harm and the accelerated loss of forest in an area of special ecological protection situated between Calamar and Miraflores in Guaviare. According to the investigation, construction between the two municipalities was carried out without the relevant environmental licenses or permits. This – combined with the continuous passage of heavy vehicles and subsequent settlements established following illegal logging and forest burning – caused the protected area and the region’s water sources to deteriorate. Miraflores and Calamar’s mayors were said to have facilitated the advancement of the building works along the 138km road corridor. They were also allegedly lenient in the face of any irregularities that arose. According to monitoring systems belonging to IDEAM – the institute of hydrology, meteorology and environmental studies – deforestation in Guaviare tripled during the two mayors’ governing periods. Deforestation rose from 11,456 hectares in 2015 to 34,527 hectares in 2018, much of which was related to where the illegal road was built. The ex-public officials were charged with aggravated damage to natural resources and aggravated invasion of an area of special ecological importance.

In 2021, five alleged members of a wildlife trafficking ring were arrested and brought before a supervisory judge, charged with aggravated conspiracy and illicit exploitation of renewable natural resources. The network is accused of indiscriminately hunting capybaras in the Orinoquía natural region and selling their meat illegally in Bogotá and other parts of the country. Amongst the defendants are two men who were the alleged ringleaders and financiers of the criminal activity – from the capture of the animals in the savannah and Casanare waters, to killing them and distributing their meat. The evidence showed that the meat was hidden in vehicles designed for fish transport to evade the authorities, with the meat arriving in poor condition and unsuitable for human consumption. The meat was subsequently sold to markets and restaurants. The capybara is a protected species in Colombia, catalogued as a key part of the country’s natural heritage, so hunting is forbidden to ensure its conservation and survival. It can be hunted in exceptional circumstances with the correct permits and environmental licence, which the network did not possess.

In 2019, 19 alleged members of a criminal network dedicated to the exploitation and illicit sale of timber in Cundinamarca and Boyacá were arrested and charged. Among those detained were several owners of well-known commercial establishments in the area whose main activities were related to the sale of different types of timber. The evidence collected showed that the merchants allegedly falsified and permits required by the environmental authorities to legally transport the goods. The investigation revealed that the illegal network extracted timber from protected forest reserves, transporting it with falsified letters of transit acquired by the drivers who were moving the material. The documents were presented to deceive the police during inspections along roads and security checkpoints along the organisation’s six main transport routes. While many of the warehouses were in Cundinamarca and Boyacá, the illicit timber was distributed in legal establishments in different cities across the country. The defendants have been charged with crimes such as damage to natural resources, illicit exploitation of renewable natural resources, falsifying a public document, bribery and conspiracy.

In 2022, 21 alleged members of an illegal wildlife trade network were arrested during search and seizure operations in Medellín (Antioquia), Magangué (Bolivar), Cali (Valle del Cauca), Piendamo (Cauca), Mosquera (Cundinamarca) and Bogotá. During the operations, the authorities rescued over 1,000 animals destined for sale in Colombia and abroad. The evidence suggested that this illicit organisation would hunt species in their natural habitat and then smuggle them to Medellín as packages on public buses and freight transport. The group allegedly used social media and private messaging groups – comprised primarily of collector and business owners – to sell the animals, providing photos of the different species. These included iguanas, ferrets, turtles, snakes, macaws, parrots, African hedgehogs, monkeys, deer, spectacled caimans, ocelots and endangered species. Alongside the photos, they listed the price, form of payment and delivery methods of each animal. 

In February 2023, the Brazilian authorities launched Operation Kukuanaland, to dismantle criminal networks dedicated to illegal gold extraction. 5 search and seizure warrants were served in Goiânia (Goiás) and Santos (São Paulo). The investigation revealed a group of suspects that issued false invoices for the sale of gold that had been illegally extracted on Indigenous lands. The falsified documents had facilitated the sale of the gold to exporters and holding the proceeds in financial institutions. Reports also noted that despite the suspects holding a prospecting permit (PLG) – a legal document that allows the immediate exploitation of mineral deposits without any preliminary mineral research – the declared amount of gold had not been mined at the site designated by the PLG. The network illegally extracted and laundered over 130 million reais (equivalent to $24 million USD), equivalent to 300kg of gold.

In 2022, 22 people were detained and convicted for their involvement in the ‘Naturales’ group, a criminal network dedicated to procuring, trafficking and selling wild and exotic animals. The organisation allegedly removed animals from their natural habitats and sold them on social media and WhatsApp groups. Once purchased, the animals were then smuggled to the recipient via courier services, intercity transport companies and taxis under precarious conditions. The most heavily affected animals were vulnerable or endangered species, including ocelots, iguanas, turtles, macaws, parrots, African hedgehogs, spectacled caiman and monkeys etc. In April 2022, the authorities rescued over 1,000 animals of different species as part of the operation. Members of the group – whose efforts were concentrated across Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Magangué and Piendamó – were charged with animal trafficking and the illicit handling of wildlife, amongst others. 

On the 21st of October 2018, two men were found guilty of illegal exploitation of natural resources in Boyacá. They were stopped at a checkpoint along Paipa Tunja road, where the authorities discovered 3.5 tonnes of capybara meat was discovered underneath their fish cargo. 164 animals had been killed, and the meat was being smuggled to the capital city, Bogotá. Neither man possessed a permit or authorisation for the transport of wild species, so they were detained, their vehicle was seized, and they have been charged with 24 months in prison.

In 2015, seven boa constrictors seized in connection to an illegal wildlife smuggling scheme were returned to Brazil from the United States. The case started in 2006, when a boa constrictor – named Princess Diamond – with a rare genetic mutation was found in the forests of the Niterói district of Rio de Janeiro. The mutation, called leucism, meant the snake was completely white with black eyes, the first of its kind to have this pattern. Due to its rarity, the Brazilian authorities kept the white boa at the Niterói zoo. In 2009, an American collector, reptile breeder and seller from Utah travelled to Brazil and acquired the snake in an illegal sale and export operation. He allegedly paid $1 million USD for the snake and smuggled it back to the United States. He then began crossbreeding the snake with other boas, exploiting its high commercial value and profiting from its offspring. Once the Brazilian government learned of the case, it requested assistance from the United States to safely return the snake and its offspring. Thereafter, federal investigators obtained a warrant to seize the snake, but upon arriving at the property, they learned the snake had died. They transferred the seven surviving offspring to a zoo in Salt Lake City, and the animals were subsequently returned to Brazil. 

In July 2022, the Brazilian police arrested 5 people and served 82 search and seizure warrants across 7 states during Operation Greed. The operation targeted illegal gold mining and convergent crimes such as money laundering and corruption, specifically a criminal network which allegedly illegally extracted gold and then used cryptocurrency – amongst other methods – to launder the proceeds. The investigation revealed that the operation related to healthcare companies who had been laundering money from illegally extracted gold in the state of Rondônia since at least 2012. The federal police conducted a banking analysis, which found that over 16 billion reais ($3 billion USD) had been moved through the group’s bank accounts between 2019 and 2021 alone. The evidence showed that millions of dollars’ worth of deposits, withdrawals and bank transfers were made, and shell companies established. The group’s modus operandi involved the creation of a crypto asset (token) owned by one of the companies, through which they laundered the proceeds of their illegal mining operation, disguising them as investments from third parties interested in receiving dividends. The network also allegedly owned a mining company with invalid environmental licenses, through which it laundered gold extracted illegally from other mines in the north of the country. In just one of the mines inspected, the cumulative damage from the illegal gold mining is estimated to have caused irreversible damage to an area equivalent to 212 football fields.

In 2022, Singapore authorities intercepted their largest seizure of rhino horns to date when South African national Gumede Sthembiso Joel was caught at Changi Airport transporting 20 pieces (18 from White Rhinoceros and 2 from the Critically Endangered Black Rhinoceros) from Johannesburg to Laos. The case marked a turning point in Singapore's wildlife trafficking enforcement, with Joel receiving the maximum sentence of two years imprisonment under the country's Endangered Species Act—the heaviest penalty imposed for wildlife smuggling in the nation's history. The prosecution revealed Joel had agreed to transport the contraband in exchange for flight tickets and payment, highlighting the role of couriers in transnational wildlife crime networks. Following this case, Singapore amended its legislation, tripling maximum jail terms and doubling fines for illegal trade in CITES Appendix I species. The incident demonstrated the growing regional commitment to prosecution, as evidenced by Southeast Asian authorities' seizure of approximately 420kg of rhino horn across 19 trafficking incidents between 2021-2023, with Vietnam imposing a record 14-year sentence in a similar case. It also embodied the importance of on-the-ground personnel: it was a security officer who set off a series of actions that led to Joel’s arrest when they noticed boxes wrapped in cling film containing organic items shaped like horns in x-ray scan images.

Corruption is one of the most important facilitators of the illegal wildlife trade, and its effects can be seen in every stage of the illegal wildlife trade supply chain. In an effort to better understand corruption in this context, TRAFFIC analysed a series of court cases in southern Africa. In one case, five suspects in Zambia were found in illegal possession of two rhino horn pieces without a certificate of ownership as required by the Zambian Wildlife Act of 2015. Two of the accused were local magistrates, and a Ministry of Tourism spokesperson stated that “We strongly suspect that this was an inside job involving one of our officers.”

According to an EIA investigation of corruption in rosewood trafficking in Zambia, Chief Kafula Musungu II (a senior chief in the Muchinga Province) allegedly received a special permit to export 100 containers of rosewood logs as a reward for delivering votes to President Lungu in the presidential election. Though suspended after only 38 containers were exported, the chief formed a joint venture with a Chinese businessman who provided vehicles and cash payments to facilitate access. According to the Chinese partner, the army issues export licenses for each container under presidential authorisation, with military personnel overseeing loading operations and providing safe passage through checkpoints. This arrangement bypasses normal forestry regulations and allows exploitation of customary lands, with profits concentrated among chiefs and foreign investors rather than benefiting local communities.

According to an EIA investigation, the state-owned Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation Limited (ZAFFICO) has been used as a front for illegal rosewood trafficking since 2017. While officially appointed to export seized illegally logged timber stockpiles, ZAFFICO issues "special permits" that enable well-connected traders to transport and export freshly harvested rosewood logs despite export bans. Chinese trafficker "Mr. D" revealed that these permits cost approximately $15,000 in bribes (called "government fees") per container, with an estimated 50 containers exported monthly over a two-year period. The scheme is allegedly protected by high-ranking government officials, with one trafficker claiming the operation is "protected by the party" and functions as a "joint venture with the central committee" of the ruling Patriotic Front party.

A 2021-2023 TRAFFIC investigation revealed an alarming prevalence of illegal wildlife trading online in Vietnam, identifying 22,497 posts advertising products derived from protected species including elephants, tigers, rhinos, pangolins, and endangered turtles. Despite national laws prohibiting such trade and carrying penalties of up to 15 years imprisonment, sellers operated openly across social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Zalo, using code words and emojis to evade detection algorithms. The investigation uncovered concerning trends, including the emergence of wildlife-derived "glues" containing mixtures of threatened species and the advertisement of 23 out of 26 native turtle species, many critically endangered. While Zalo's implementation of a community policy led to a decrease in advertisements on their platform, this merely shifted traffic to Facebook, highlighting the “whack-a-mole" nature of enforcement.