New Zealand government agencies participate in INTERPOL operation

A number of New Zealand’s government agencies have been participating in an INTERPOL-coordinated operation targeting the illegal trade in traditional medicines containing wildlife products.

David Higgins, manager of the INTERPOL environmental crime programme, says that the month-long Operation TRAM (1–28 February) involved 18 countries across all five continents. “This was an intelligence-led, global enforcement operation which saw national wildlife enforcement authorities, police, customs and specialised units working very closely together. The primary goal of the operation was to fight the illegal trade in endangered wildlife which is a threat to our planet’s biodiversity.

“By fighting international crime in a coordinated global way, INTERPOL and its member countries will strike a blow to the criminal groups that for so long have exploited our shared biodiversity for their own personal gain and greed.”

In New Zealand the operation was coordinated out of the New Zealand Customs Services’ national targeting centre in Auckland and involved the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), the New Zealand Customs Service (Customs), the Department of Conservation (DoC), the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the Ministry of Fisheries (MOF), the Combined Law Agency Group (CLAG) and the INTERPOL national central bureau.

Ann Panoho from the government interagency Wildlife Enforcement Group (WEG) says that the operation in New Zealand involved the passenger terminals in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as the international mail centre, express freight and cargo. “Several vessels were searched by Customs, and a number of search warrants and inspections were executed by MAF, DoC, NZFSA and Customs officers.

“This operation is an excellent example of inter-agency cooperation and the sharing of staff and resources,” she says.

David Higgins says: “Globally the operation has resulted in the seizure of thousands of illegal medicines worth more than €10 million, a series of arrests, and further investigations of individuals and companies. Traditional medicines seized during the operation have included ingredients derived from tiger, bear and rhinoceros among many others.”

Chief Constable Richard Crompton, the Association of Chief Police Officers’ lead for the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, says: “While the law enforcement community recognises the important cultural, historical and religious values of traditional medicines, the increased use of endangered species in their ingredients will no longer be tolerated as it places extreme pressure on their very survival and existence.”

During the operation, multiple investigations into individuals and companies, coupled with thorough inspections of premises ranging from seaports to wholesalers, revealed that an alarming amount of products still continue to use wildlife products or market the use of wildlife products within their ingredients.

Countries involved in Operation TRAM were Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Georgia, India, Italy, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.

Investigations are continuing, and the final results of Operation TRAM will be released upon their conclusion.