Category: Interpol

SINGAPORE – More than two years after a Ukrainian woman was stopped at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport during an INTERPOL operation with 116 baby tortoises concealed in her luggage, the internationally protected species have been returned to Tanzania as evidence against their smuggler.

The repatriation of the tortoises signals the final phase of a long-running enquiry into an international wildlife trafficking ring that has led to the arrest of 14 suspects from various countries and tracked down the Ukrainian smuggler after a global investigation.

A handover ceremony marking the reptiles’ return was held yesterday in Bangkok, attended by high-level officials from Thailand and Tanzania.

Police Major General Surapan Thaiprasert, Commander of the Foreign Affairs Division at the Royal Thai Police said:

“Thailand worked closely with INTERPOL and our partners in Tanzania on this significant case. Through our strong detection capabilities, we were able to intercept the smuggler and rescue the tortoises. Their successful return to Tanzania is a testament to our collaborative efforts.”

Criminal economy

The trafficking of endangered tortoises is a significant criminal economy, with species removed from their natural habitats, often to be sold abroad as exotic pets.

The 116 tortoises recovered in Bangkok included pancake tortoises, radiated tortoises and Aldabra giant tortoises, all of which are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Many of the tortoises died after being found in the smuggler’s luggage, despite urgent care provided by Thai authorities. All 116 were nevertheless repatriated as evidence.

Cyril Gout, Acting Executive Director of Police Services at INTERPOL said:

“Wildlife trafficking is a serious global threat that disrupts ecosystems and harms communities while enriching organized crime groups. This case demonstrates the resolve of law enforcement internationally to protect vulnerable species, stop illegal wildlife trafficking and bring criminals to justice.  

“INTERPOL plays a vital role in facilitating coordinated action against wildlife crime and will continue to support our member countries in breaking up wildlife trafficking syndicates.”

Dismantling a wildlife crime network

Following her arrest in Bangkok, the Ukrainian smuggler fled Thailand before she could be fully prosecuted. Through intense international police collaboration and an INTERPOL Red Notice, she was located in Bulgaria in March 2023 and extradited to Tanzania three months later.

Once it was established that the smuggler belonged to a larger wildlife trafficking network, INTERPOL provided investigative and operational support. As a result of these efforts, 14 additional suspects, from countries including Egypt, Indonesia, Madagascar and Tanzania, have so far also been arrested.

Ramadhan Hamisi Kingai, Director of Criminal Investigation at the Tanzania Police Force said:

“From the capture of the suspect to the repatriation of the tortoises, these successes were made possible through strong international police cooperation and a collaborative, multi-agency approach facilitated through INTERPOL. Tanzania is firmly committed to addressing wildlife crime and continues to work with other countries to ensure that those responsible are arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Local wildlife officials in Tanzania will quarantine and care for the surviving tortoises before assessing if they can be safely returned to their natural habitats.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other donors.

BERLIN, Germany – The Federal Environment Ministry of Germany, INTERPOL and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) are joining forces to combat the devastating impact of environmental crime.

With a EUR 5 million investment from the German government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), the three-year project aims to identify and prevent transnational crimes impacting the climate, biodiversity and the environment across five key areas: fisheries crime, forestry crime, illegal mining, pollution crime, and wildlife crime.

Environmental crime, which is estimated to be the third most profitable form of criminal activity worldwide, generates hundreds of billions of dollars in illegal profits each year.

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke said: “Transboundary organized environmental crime exacerbates the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution. So it is important to me to ensure that protecting the environment goes hand in hand with combating environmental crime.

“Criminal organizations are causing massive damage to the natural foundations of our lives. For example, they kill and trade in critically endangered species, clear forests that provide key carbon reservoirs and habitats, and poison landscapes with illegally dumped waste, making them uninhabitable. By cooperating with INTERPOL and WWF, we will join forces and make a valuable contribution in the fight against transboundary environmental crime.”

INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said:

“Environmental crimes threaten our planet, our daily lives and the future of generations to come. From illegal logging to hazardous waste dumping, there are no borders to environmental crimes, which are uniquely destructive, with long term consequences that extend far beyond the immediate damage. This joint project with Germany and WWF will help provide real support in developing capabilities, intelligence and ultimately, operational outcomes.”

Heike Vesper, Chief Executive, Transformation and Policies at WWF Germany said:

“Environmental crime is a phenomenon that has been greatly underestimated to date. Illegal deforestation, fishing and mining contribute significantly to global warming and species loss and therefore pose a massive threat to our human livelihoods. With this cooperation between the Federal Environment Ministry, INTERPOL and WWF, we are finally taking action against the activities of criminal groups, which all too often go unpunished. Destroying the environment and biodiversity for profit is not a trivial offence, but a serious crime with local and global consequences for people and nature.”

Background

The term environmental crime covers a wide range of illegal activities that harm ecosystems, animals, plants and the climate.

Environmental crime is one of the most profitable forms of criminal operations worldwide, with estimates putting it as the third most profitable criminal activity behind drug trafficking and counterfeit crimes.

One of the goals of the German-funded project with INTERPOL and WWF is to strengthen capacities and transnational cooperation between law enforcement agencies, and to protect civil society organizations when uncovering and prosecuting environmental crimes.

See Also

Germany Federal Environment Ministry  

WWF Germany

LYON, France – Continuing the global fight against online piracy and associated crimes, a second phase of the INTERPOL-Stop Online Piracy (I-SOP) project has been launched.

Cracking down on illegal online distribution platforms, expanding international collaboration, and raising global awareness about copyright protection, the project will continue with KRW 4.2 billion (EUR 2.8 million) funding from the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and support from the Korean National Police Agency.

During the first phase of the project, successes included the arrest of operators behind major illegal platforms and the takedown of the EVO Release Group. This international criminal network is accused of illegally sharing copyrighted audio-visual products, causing losses of more than EUR 1 million.

MCST Minister Yu In-chon said:

“Through this agreement with INTERPOL, Korea will transcend its role as a global content powerhouse to lead in the field of copyright protection, strengthening its cultural dialogue with the world through diverse genres of K-content, including dramas, films, music, and entertainment.”

With very low risk, digital piracy can be highly lucrative for criminals, generating tens of billions of dollars each year. It also has a negative impact on the creative sector and economies through job losses, ultimately affecting consumers.

INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said:

“There is no such thing as a victimless crime. Illegal streaming and downloading is not about ‘beating the system’. Online piracy is a multi-billion dollar business, with the profits often linked to other transnational crimes such as money laundering and fraud, which means a strong law enforcement response is essential.”

Lee Ho-Young, Acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency said:

“Online copyright crimes have become transnational crimes that are difficult for a single organization or country to handle. The Korean National Police Agency will work more diligently to combat online copyright crimes in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and INTERPOL.”

Created during phase one of I-SOP, the Advisory Group on Digital Piracy will continue to strengthen the project’s impact. Identifying emerging threats, promoting innovative strategies, and ensuring effective intelligence sharing, the Advisory group brings together experts from INTERPOL National Central Bureaus, specialized law enforcement units, and private sector organizations.

Public awareness campaigns will also continue to play a vital role in I-SOP through educating consumers about the risks of digital piracy, including exposure to malware and cybersecurity threats.

LYON, France – An operation targeting illegal mining in Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea and Senegal has led to the arrest of 200 people.

Operation Sanu (July–October 2024) brought together experts from INTERPOL and national law enforcement agencies to combat illegal mining and associated crimes, with hundreds of officers deployed to identify criminal routes and modus operandi in remote and isolated areas of the four countries.

The cross-border collaboration led to the seizure of significant amounts of chemicals and equipment used in illegal mining: 150 kgs of cyanide, 325 kgs of active charcoal, 14 cylinders of mercury  with an estimated value of over USD 100,000, 20 litres of nitrite acid, and two 57-litre containers of sulfuric acid. 10 kilogramme of cocaine and almost 7,000 explosive devices were also seized.

Underlining the human cost of illegal mining, the operations team also seized large quantities of opioid pain relief tablets, commonly used by miners in the region to alleviate the pain caused by the use of chemicals such as mercury and cyanide in illicit small-scale gold mining. These chemicals can have serious toxic effects on the human nervous system.
 
The operation also gave INTERPOL and the law enforcement officers and prosecutors involved new insights into the wider damage caused by illegal mining in the region – from deforestation to landslides and the deviation of river flows leading to drought or flooding – as well as its impact on economies and communities in the region.

INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said:

“Transnational criminal networks exploit mineral resources around the world, harming the environment, hurting national economies, weakening fragile communities, and endangering public health and safety. The operation’s success highlights the effectiveness of law enforcement when they join forces to tackle these threats.”

A first in the fight against illegal sand mining

Although the central focus of the operation was illegal gold mining, it also targeted illegal sand mining in the Gambia, with raids in several locations in the Kombo and south coastal belt region, leading to seven arrests and the seizure of mining equipment and trucks loaded with sand and gravel. The operation was a first for this type of action in the Gambia and was also an opportunity for the authorities to gain a clearer understanding of how illegal sand mining and trade is organized. Illegal sand mining has recorded unprecedented levels in recent years and is a major threat to the environment and to the livelihoods and living conditions of local communities.

Operation Sanu is part of a pilot project designed to support law enforcement agencies in their efforts to tackle the complex and multifaceted issues arising from illegal mining activities in Western and Central Africa.

Operation Sanu was carried out by INTERPOL’s Environmental Security Programme with funding by the United Kingdom’s Home Office.

Participating countries:  Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea, Senegal

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – INTERPOL’s Asian Regional Conference has ended with senior law enforcement officials supporting increased cross sector cooperation to combat a range of crimes including drug trafficking, cybercrime and terrorism.

Among the recommendations was greater engagement with the information and communications technology sector to better detect and disrupt human trafficking facilitated online, as well as enhanced use of INTERPOL’s tools and services.

Delegates also recognized the need for engagement with civil society organizations to support the recovery and re-integration of trafficking victims.

Measures to better address current and emerging forms of terrorism across the region and beyond, supported by the participants, include:

• Enhancing intelligence sharing on subjects and modi operandi linked to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents and improvised explosive devices;
• Increasing systematic inclusion of biometrics linked to terrorist profiles in INTERPOL databases and alerts;
• Facilitating intelligence-led screening operations targeting suspected terrorists, their affiliates, cross-regional movements, financial and other support mechanisms.

With cyberattacks easily replicated in other countries or regions, increasing use of INTERPOL’s tools and capabilities to prevent, detect, investigate and disrupt cybercrime was also a key recommendation.

Stronger global coalition

The Asian Regional Conference also began the review of INTERPOL’s Global Policing Goals, which were launched in 2018 to address a range of issues related to crime and security.

More than 150 law enforcement officials from 42 countries across Asia, the South Pacific and the Middle East took part in the three-day (7-9 February) meeting.

INTERPOL’s 2022 Global Crime Trend report highlighted drug trafficking among the region’s top threats. On Wednesday, New Zealand authorities reported one of the country’s largest ever seizures after intercepting 3.2 tonnes of cocaine afloat in the ocean.

“Our member countries are reporting record seizures and increased violence by organized crime groups, which at the same time are infiltrating the legitimate economy with the billions they are making in illicit profits,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock.

“With each region facing its own drug-related challenges, INTERPOL is the ideal platform to coordinate a global dialogue for a multi-layered and comprehensive law enforcement response to include linked crimes such as money laundering and corruption,” concluded Secretary General Stock.

The INTERPOL Americas Regional Conference, to be held in Chile in March, will provide an opportunity for member countries to outline the challenges they face, and contribute to developing a stronger global coalition against drug trafficking.

KIGALI, Rwanda – Efforts to boost border security in Rwanda through operational training and the enhanced use of INTERPOL policing tools saw thousands of checks carried out against its global databases.

The five-day (12 – 16 December 2022) Operation STOP (Smuggling Training and Operations Programme) aimed to strengthen efforts against cross-border crime by providing capacity building training to 20 participants on tracking the movement of criminals to identify and arrest them and safeguard potential victims via INTERPOL’s databases and I-24/7 secure communications channel.

Following the training exercise, officers from Customs, Immigration, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau and the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Kigali were deployed to key border points in the capital and between Rwanda and Uganda.

They carried out more than 16,500 checks against INTERPOL’s databases, including those for nominal data on suspected criminals, stolen and lost travel documents, and stolen motor vehicles.

“Operation STOP enhances border security management and inter-agency cooperation. Through increased use of INTERPOL policing capabilities and mobile devices at border points, the initiative allows border officers to better check individuals and vehicles in real time, and identify potential criminals on the spot and their network.” Antoine Ngarambe, Head of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Kigali

Extending access to INTERPOL’s I-24/7 network and databases at key border points, with mobile technology allowing frontline officers to run instant checks, is central to the STOP initiative.

INTERPOL’s Director of Operational Support and Analysis, Cyril Gout, said: “Operation STOP is crucial in boosting the ability of officers to tackle crimes such as irregular migration, human trafficking and other cross-border crimes which harm national and regional security. Operational trainings directly enhance the crime-fighting skills of officers which are then put into practice to strengthen border security.”

At the heart of the project is the extension of access for police at strategic border points to INTERPOL’s secure global police communications network.

To this end, Rwandan frontline officers were provided with INTERPOL mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, allowing them to run checks against INTERPOL’s databases and receive an instant response.

The STOP initiative helps member countries to protect vulnerable communities in the African region through capacity building, operational support, and the consolidation of global information-sharing platforms, providing a lasting legacy of improved national operational capacity.

The 92nd session of the INTERPOL General Assembly takes place from 4 to 7 November 2024 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body and comprises delegates appointed by the governments of our member countries.

It meets once a year and takes all the major decisions affecting general policy, the resources needed for international cooperation, working methods, finances and programmes of activities. These decisions are in the form of resolutions.

Agenda

This session of the General Assembly will appoint the next Secretary General for the Organization, as Jürgen Stock completes his second and final mandate after 10 years. The candidate to replace him is Valdecy Urquiza of Brazil, selected by the Executive Committee after a recruitment process earlier this year.

The Assembly will also vote for nine members of the Executive Committee, as the three-year mandates of the incumbents come to an end.

There will be four main interactive panels that will look at different aspects of the future of international policing across the Organization’s global crime programmes:

1. Biometric frontline capabilities
2. AI and the future of policing
3. Sustaining multilateralism – an integrated global security architecture
4. The future of law enforcement leadership

Other topics will cover global partnerships, governance and data processing in addition to general policing capabilities.

The Assembly will also vote to approve the programme of activities and budget for 2025.