Investigating and Prosecuting Wildlife Crime
Spotting the organized wildlife criminal
In the fields of narcotics, arms and human smuggling, there is ample evidence of organised crime involvement and also a long history of prosecutions of networks and their members. However, there is considerably less with regard to wildlife crime. There are, though, many indicators of organised crime’s participation and the following table lists some of these.
| Organised structure to poaching; use of gangs, supply of vehicles, weapons and ammunition |
Payments to organized crime groups |
| Exploitation of local communities | Use of persons of high political or social status |
| Provision of high-quality lawyers | Sophisticated forgery and counterfeiting of documents |
| Corruption of judicial process | Use of sexual bribes or blackmail and other corruption of officials |
| Violence towards law enforcement personnel | Use of fake or 'front' companies |
| Corruption of law enforcement personnel | Fraudulent advertising of wildlife and widespread use of the Internet |
| Exploitation of civil unrest | Previous convictions for other types of crime |
| Financial investment in 'start-up' and technology needed for processing and marketing |
Organised crime group members use or ownership of wildlife |
| 'Inviolability' displayed by those involved | Money-laundering |
| Sophistication of smuggling techniques and routes | Payment of financial penalties |
| Use of 'mules' and couriers | Huge profits |