Another never ending excuse to wage endless war for endless peace.
Jeff
> 10) Organized Gangs Moving Into Wildlife Trafficking A Report From
> Traffic-UK
> June 17, 2002
> Organized criminal gangs including the Russian Mafia and drugs cartels are
> trading in highly profitable wildlife products by using existing smuggling
> routes for illegal commodities, such as small arms, drugs and humans says a
> WWF and TRAFFIC report released today. According to the report,
> International Wildlife Trade and Organized Crime, 50 per cent of wildlife
> criminals prosecuted nationwide have previous convictions for drugs,
> violence, theft and firearms offences. There is strong evidence that this
> is reflected globally as serious, often violent, organised crime groups get
> involved in the most lucrative areas of illegal wildlife trade, such as
> caviar smuggling. In Brazil, recent estimates suggest that up to 40 per
> cent of illegal drug shipments are combined with wildlife. The US Fish and
> Wildlife Service has reported that more than a third of cocaine seized in
> the US in 1993 was associated with wildlife imports. In the same year a US
> Customs inspector in Miami noticed an unnatural bulge in a live boa
> constrictor which was part of a shipment of 312 animals from Colombia. An
> investigation revealed that cocaine-filled condoms had been forcibly
> inserted into 225 of the snakes. A total of 39 kilograms of cocaine was
> recovered from the reptiles, all of which died. Stuart Chapman, WWF-UK Head
> of Species Programme said: "This report confirms what many have suspected.
> The huge profits that can be made from wildlife trafficking are acting as a
> magnet to organised crime networks. The profits, sometimes worth up to 800
> per cent, combined with the low risks of detection and lack of serious
> punishment make illegal wildlife trade very attractive to criminals." Three
> actions are needed to combat the organised, illegal wildlife trade in the
> UK; identify illicit markets; identify people and networks within the
> criminal organisations, and; hinder criminals by creating stronger
> legislation, enhanced enforcement and closing legal loopholes. Crawford
> Allan, TRAFFIC's Global Enforcement Co-ordinator, said: "We believe the
> main problems in the UK are a lack of investment in wildlife law
> enforcement and the minimal punishments under wildlife trade laws that do
> not act as a deterrent to criminals. To give the necessary powers to our
> enforcement agencies the penalties under COTES need to be strengthened to
> ensure that the maximum penalties are increased to five years, which will
> make offences arrestable." In April the Government took a significant step
> forward in tackling the illegal wildlife trade by creating the National
> Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit (NWCIU). This will gather information on
> markets, criminals and networks but will still leave the enforcers
> powerless to arrest criminals for wildlife trade offences involving
> critically endangered species. The report highlights four clear links
> between illegal wildlife trade and organised crime: - The use of legal
> shipments of wildlife to conceal drugs. At Heathrow, in 1996, while
> inspecting a consignment of live snails, customs officers discovered that
> they were packed with heroin. - Enforcers in several countries have
> reported the use of venomous snakes by criminals to guard or conceal drug
> caches and consignments. - The parallel trafficking of drugs and wildlife
> along shared smuggling routes. In Latin America, powerful drug cartels
> operate in the countries where many endangered species live and use their
> covert distribution networks to profitably trade in these species as well
> as drugs. The money from drug dealing is also laundered by setting up
> trading businesses such as illegal logging operations. - Wildlife products
> are used as a currency to 'barter' for drugs, and to launder drug traffic
> money. For example 'plane loads' of smuggled birds from Australia have been
> exchanged for heroin in Bangkok, with the drugs being flown back to
> Australia for sale. As part of the campaign WWF and TRAFFIC are encouraging
> members of the public to write to their MP expressing concern at the UK's
> current wildlife trade laws. People can support the campaign by calling +44
> 1483 426 333 or visiting the WWF website For further information contact:
> Anthony Field, t: +44 1483 412379, m: 07768 867275, email:
> afield_at_wwf.org.uk Maija Sirola, t: +44 1223 277427, email:
> maija.sirola_at_trafficint.org Editor's notes
> A PDF Version of the report is available at
> http://www.wwf.org.uk/wildlifetrade/reports.asp
> It is 34 pages long.
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org