The India Customs intercepted an 18-tonne shipment of red sandalwood destined for the United Arab Emirates, during a month-long “Operation Thunder 2020”.
- The operation wss coordinated by the Interpol and the World Customs Organisation, which involved law enforcement agencies in 103 countries.
- The operation against environmental crime was held from September 14 to October 11, 2020. It resulted in large seizures of protected wildlife and forestry specimens and products, triggering arrests and investigations worldwide.
Interpol and wildlife programmes
INTERPOL Environmental Security Programme has identified a range
of different methods used to carry out illegal wildlife activities.
- The INTERPOL Wildlife Enforcement team helps to disrupt and dismantle transnational organized criminal networks involved in the illegal wildlife trade. We assist our member countries to enforce national and international laws and treaties effectively.
- Operation Worthy II: Operation Worthy II was initiated to enhance coordinated law enforcement responses to wildlife crime through cross-border, multi-agency collaboration, systematic intelligence exchange and analysis, and advanced investigative techniques.
- Project Predator: This project has been enhancing law enforcement’s capacity to conserve Asian big cats and other wildlife since its creation in 2010. These big cats are killed due to the high value of their fur on the black market and the demand for their body parts for traditional medicines and other uses.
- Project Wisdom: Elephants and rhinoceros are poached for their ivory and horn respectively. Ivory is carved and sold as artifacts, while rhino horn is reduced to powder and used in traditional medicine.
- Operation Thunderstorm (2018): This operation targeted the people behind the illegal trade in wildlife and timber, and involved police, customs, border, environment, wildlife and forestry agencies from 93 countries. The operation saw almost 2,000 seizures and the identification of some 1,400 suspects, triggering arrests worldwide.
- Operation Thunderbird (2017): A global operation tackling the illegal trade in wildlife and timber that resulted in the identification of nearly 900 suspects and 1,300 seizures of illicit products worth an estimated USD 5.1 million. The operation involved police, customs, border agencies, environment, wildlife and forestry officials from 49 countries and territories, and resulted in a range of seizures.
INTERPOL: The full form of INTERPOL is International Criminal Police Organization and it is an inter-governmental organization. Currently it has 194 member countries
(Source: The Hindu and Interpol)
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