Joint Operations: These fall into two broad types. First, the intelligence-led, multi-agency operation targeting a known criminal activity being conducted by a number of individuals with a network which spans a number of countries. These take time to plan and require secrecy in the preparation period and the co-ordinated action of several enforcement agencies, and may be on-going for weeks or months depending on where the evidence from the initial arrests and seizures leads.
Examples include: (i) Operation COBRA III, the biggest ever coordinated international law enforcement operation targeting the illegal trade in endangered species, was conducted in two phases between mid-March and the end of May 2015, and saw the participation of law enforcement teams and agencies from 62 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and America. Europol supported the operation across Europe by facilitating operational information exchange and coordinating the activities of police, customs, forestry and other law enforcement authorities from 25 participating EU Member States. The operation was organised by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) and the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), and supported by numerous international agencies and organisations such as Interpol. It led to the recovery of a huge amount of wildlife contraband, including over 12 tonnes of elephant ivory and at least 119 rhino horns. European seizures included 11,439 dead and live specimens, almost 2000 parts and products, and over 6 tonnes of timber, plants and animal parts. In addition, 100,000 pills of traditional Asian medicine were confiscated. Within the EU, key activities included the interception and seizure of: 20 kg of live leeches and 25 kg of coral in Bulgaria; 10,000 dead seahorses and over 400 live turtles/tortoises in the UK (and another 300 in Croatia); over 90 kg of coral and more than 50 kg of animal parts (including heads and horns) in Spain; more than 500 kg of frozen eel in Poland; over 800 cacti in a joint German/Chinese operation; 16 whale ribs in the Netherlands; and 50 kg of raw (unworked) ivory in France. Several individuals have been arrested and investigations are continuing in many countries. (Source: Europol.)
(ii) Operation Paws II (Protection of Asian Wildlife Species) was undertaken between April and May 2015 across 17 countries in Asia and beyond targeted criminal networks involved in wildlife crime. The operation’s investigative outcomes included the publication of INTERPOL Purple Notices on the smuggling methodology and concealment methods of trafficked wildlife animals. During the operation, more than 13 tonnes of pangolin products were seized, representing some 1,000 animals at an estimated street value exceeding USD 2 million. In Singapore alone, authorities seized almost 1,800 pieces of elephant ivory, four pieces of rhino horn and 22 pieces of big cat teeth, worth some USD 5.2 million in total. After Nepal Police seized tiger skin bones from a village on the India-Nepal border, INTERPOL facilitated communications between investigators in both countries to assist them identify and arrest an alleged tiger poacher. The suspect, Ramjas Banjara, remains in custody in Bardia, Nepal. The operation sought to enhance communication and intelligence sharing between countries regionally and globally, including via cyber investigations, intelligence and DNA analysis, and joint enforcement activities involving police, customs and wildlife agencies. (Source: Interpol)

Secondly, there are investigations which begin with either an intelligence-led arrest and seizure, or a random discovery eg. at an airport security check, which reveal wider connections which either require a more substantial investigation than initially thought, or trigger further investigations elsewhere. These thus require to be built up as investigators seek assistance from, or provide information to, others whether in the same jurisdiction or outside it. It is here that the E U’s ‘Mutual Legal Assistance’ instruments and the channels for speedy communication provided by Europol and EJN particularly can be very effective in transnational instances. Examples include: (i) A man convicted in June 2013 at Gloucester, UK, for illegal CITES wild bird trading and associated fraud sentenced to 40 weeks prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, 12 week curfew, fined £4,500 plus £6,500 costs and £6,674.25 compensation. Documentation linked this to a man in Belgium. Earlier in 2009, an investigation in South Wales had also exposed links to Belgium, the intelligence gathered being handled by the UK’s National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). A six year investigation there led to the same man and three other persons being convicted in Ghent in June 2014 for similar offences involving fraud and many illegal bird sales of up to €10,000 each. Sentences were imposed of between 12 months imprisonment suspended and 4 years with 1 year suspended, fines of €130,000, financial confiscations over €800,000 and dozens of birds, and all the prosecution’s costs.
(ii) A man was convicted in 2010 at Durham, UK for illegal importation and sale of birds eggs from USA and Australia, and sentenced to 9 month sentence imprisonment suspended for 2 years and £3607 costs. Seized documents led to other E U countries and intelligence reports were prepared by NWCU. 6,000 eggs were seized in Sweden and 10,000 in Finland. Three men were convicted in January 2014 in Sweden of many offences of illegal egg taking and sales, with sentences of 1 year imprisonment, c.£3,800 and c.£1,100 and over £3,000 in costs. In January 2015 in Finland a man was convicted of offences relating to 5,000 illegally held eggs, and to a sentence of 1 year prison was added an order for an ‘environmental compensation’ payment of €250,000. (Source: RSPB ‘Legal Eagle’)