Southeast Asia customs sharpen skills to beat wildlife trafficking

(26 April 2021, Guangdong, China) - Today marks the launch of a new effort to protect wildlife by increasing expertise to stop wildlife trafficking and catch smugglers in the act.

The Workshop on Customs Enforcement against Wildlife Trafficking in Asia-Pacific Region is organised by the Anti-smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province, China.

Southeast Asia is an important transit route and destination for endangered species smuggling. On April 1, 2020, the customs authority of Malaysia's Port Kelang busted a major smuggling case and seized more than six tonnes of African pangolin scales. In May 2020, China's Hong Kong customs officials discovered and seized 26 tonnes of smuggled shark fins from Ecuador. On January 21, 2021, the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted 162 sacks of pangolin scales and 57 sacks of mixed endangered species items of various sizes including ivory and animal horns, lion bones and more.

Hidden in containers, the items were destined for Vietnam's Haiphong and were falsely declared as furniture components. Only six days later, the Nigeria Customs Service discovered and seized 10.18 tonnes of endangered wildlife products in a suspicious container together with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, including 2,772 pieces of elephant ivory weighing 4,752 kilograms and 5,329 kilograms of pangolin scales. They were also intended to be smuggled to Vietnam. These major busts speak volumes about the necessity and urgency of inter-regional international enforcement cooperation.

Ending wildlife trafficking to protect animals and people

“Cross-border smuggling of wild animals and their products not only threatens ecological security, but also poses great risks to public health and safety," said Jimmiel Mandima, Vice President of Global Programs at IFAW. “IFAW commits to continue supporting and providing innovative solutions for law enforcement collaboration among agencies along the trafficking chain using our global network of offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas; deepening enforcement cooperation and ability with a view to effectively preventing wildlife smuggling crimes."

The participants are from six customs authorities of five countries including China's Anti-smuggling Bureau, the Customs and Excise Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) , Anti-smuggling Investigation Department under the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Lao Customs Department, Singapore Customs and Royal Malaysian Customs Department.

During the workshop, representatives of the six customs authorities from five countries will have an in-depth exchange on endangered species smuggling cases in their own countries, regions and jurisdictions since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 and their respective characteristics. They will also discuss the situation and potential risk for combating endangered species smuggling in 2021.

Moreover, they will continue to team up with relevant authorities in collecting intelligence and clues, consolidating resources to handle major cases, and cracking down on regional organised cross-border wildlife trafficking.

"GACC Anti-smuggling Bureau will, as always, adopt zero tolerance against wildlife trafficking, firmly support the protection of biodiversity, safeguard national security and ecological security” said the representative of GACC Anti-smuggling Bureau. “We will continue to strengthen stronger and wider collaboration among different countries and regions, and enhance the crackdown on smuggling crimes in countries and regions of source, transit and destination."