The UK, United States, European nations along with African, Asian and South American countries have all been involved in the month-long operation which has resulted in the identification of 1,400 suspects.
“Operation Thunderstorm has seen significant seizures at global level, showing how coordinated global operations can maximise impact,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock today.
“By revealing how wildlife trafficking groups use the same routes as criminals involved in other crime areas – often hand in hand with tax evasion, corruption, money laundering and violent crime – Operation Thunderstorm sends a clear message to wildlife criminals that the world’s law enforcement community is homing in on them.”
Police, customs, border officials along with environment, wildlife and forestry officials were involved in making seizures which are still being quantified but said to be worth millions of pounds.
The headline seizures include:
• 43 tonnes of wild meat, including samples from bear, elephant, crocodile, whale and zebra;
• 1.3 tonnes of raw and processed elephant ivory;
• 27,000 reptiles, including 869 alligators/crocodiles, 9,590 turtles and 10,000 snakes;
• Almost 4,000 birds, including pelicans, ostriches, parrots and owls;
• Several tonnes of wood and timber;
• 48 live primates;
• 14 big cats, including a tiger, lion, leopard and jaguar;
• The carcasses of seven bears, including two polar bears.
Welcoming the massive operation, leading conservation charity WWF said it reveals how the planet needs to stop exploiting its vanishing creatures.
WWF chief wildlife advisor Cath Lawson said: “This operation highlights the vast scale of the barbaric trade that is devastating some of the world’s most endangered wildlife. From plants and trees to eels and bears, we need to stop exploiting nature and start valuing it.
“This is a global problem that needs global solutions. The focus now needs to be on the illegal wildlife trade conference that’s taking place in London this October, where world leaders must go beyond words and commit to stamping it out before it's too late.”
During the month-long operation, the Vietnamese authorities seized almost four tonnes of scales from pangolins – the threatened mammal said to be the most trafficked of all animals – as they arrived by ship from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Another four tonnes of pangolin scales were also seized worldwide.
Among the arrests were two attendants in Los Angeles who were attempting to smuggle live spotted turtles to Asia in their personal baggage. Both suspects have been charged with smuggling CITES-protected species.
In Israel, a man was arrested and now awaits deportation to Thailand after a hunting photograph on social media led to the seizure of multiple wildlife items at his home, including fox, jackal and mongoose bodies.
Canadian authorities also intercepted a container holding 18 tonnes of eel meat arriving from Asia, which is thought to have been poached originally from Europe.
Interpol says before the operation went into overdrive intelligence was gathered to target specific hotspots, including land and airport border points and wildlife parks.
Cars, lorries, boats and cargo transporters suspected of moving illicit products were also targeted with searches carried out by officers using specialist sniffer dogs and X-ray scanners.
“By leveraging the global network of worldwide environmental law enforcement experts and customs community’s commitment to protecting wildlife, the World Customs Organisation and its partners have clearly illustrated the power and effectiveness of international cooperation in keeping our natural heritage safe, both now and for future generations,” said WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya.
“Operation Thunderstorm clearly demonstrates that by pooling our transnational law enforcement collaboration in the field, WCO and Interpol firmly contribute to making sure that borders everywhere divide criminals but connect customs and law enforcement as a whole to make the world a safer place.”
