Thousands of products containing endangered plant and animal
species have been seized by Border Force as part of an intensive
international operation to target the criminal networks behind
wildlife crime.
During October - as part of the month long Operation Thunder -
Border Force officers made 145 seizures containing thousands of
wildlife products which are banned by the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora
(CITES).
Seizures included clothes and accessories made from snakeskin and
turtle shell, ivory products, as well as consumer health products
containing cactus and orchid, crocodile blood and caviar.
The team also found 53 live birds across three different
seizures. Border Force look to rehome any live animals found
where possible.
Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery said:
The illegal wildlife trade is driven by criminal gangs and
threatens species with extinction, fuels corruption, and deprives
the world’s poorest communities of sustainable livelihoods.
Border Force plays a leading global role in eradicating this
damaging illegal trade and our recent successes under Operation
Thunder are proof of this.
Dr , Head of Policy for Born Free,
said:
Wildlife trafficking is serious, organised, transnational, and
increasing. It is also closely tied to other forms of serious
crime, such as corruption, fraud and money laundering. All too
often, criminal gangs view wildlife trafficking as a low-risk
high-return activity.
The work of Border Force in interrupting the trafficking of
wildlife products across the UK’s borders is critical to the UK’s
efforts to tackle this scourge.
With so much of the world’s wildlife in crisis, it’s vital that
our enforcement agencies are properly resourced to enable this
essential and highly specialised work to continue.
Wildlife crime is estimated to be worth up to £17 billion
globally per year, and is the fourth largest international crime
according to Interpol, behind only arms, drugs and human
trafficking.
Operation Thunder is a global effort to target the illegal
wildlife trade and is co-led by Interpol and the World Customs
Organisation. This year saw over 133 countries participating
alongside the UK, the highest global participation since the
campaign launched in 2017.
Internationally, there were 2,114 seizures and some 500 arrests.
Among the seizures were more than 300kg of ivory, thousands of
turtle eggs, 30 tonnes of plants, dozens of big cat body parts
and rhino horns, as well as primates, birds and marine species.
The UK is a global leader in supporting efforts to halt the
decline in nature, protect wildlife and restore the natural
world. Government work will help to deliver on the ambitious new
global deal for nature agreed at the UN Nature Summit COP15 in
December 2023, which will protect 30% of our land and ocean by
2030.
Through the government’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund,
we have committed over £51 million to 157 projects to directly
combat the illegal wildlife trade.
Operation Thunder 2023 ran from 2 to 27 October, leading to the
seizures in the UK of:
- 53 live CITES listed birds
- 5.5kgs of ivory
- 434 live plants
- over 1,000 health supplements containing illegal plant and
animal products
- 1 ceremonial headdress made with big cat fur
- vulture and falcon eggs and a lesser flamingo feather
bracelet
- 5 seizures of controlled wood products
- 26 reptile skin products including crocodile and python
Non-CITES UK seizures included:
- 285kgs of cannabis from Thailand
- 329,000 cigarettes
- 197kgs of tobacco
- 102kgs of prohibited products of animal origin
Border Force is responsible for frontline detection and seizure
of items covered by the CITES convention, which tackles
the illegal trade in endangered animals and plants. The
Heathrow-based Border Force CITES team are specialist
officers who are recognised as world leaders in their field.
Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked
to smuggling and trafficking of any kind can report it online at
gov.uk: Report smuggling - GOV.UK
(www.gov.uk)
