Eco-Trafficking
Brief /
Illegal Fishing Threatens Food Security in Bolívar, Colombia
Destruction of wildlife spurred by illegal fishing in the Ciénaga de Simití swampland in the northern Colombia department of Bolívar has sparked a full-blown...
Analysis /
How Drug Traffickers Became Masters of Honduras’ Forests
Illegal timber and drug trafficking are closely linked in northeastern Honduras, a major cocaine corridor in this region. There, criminal groups have savvily...
Brief /
Bolivia Forestry Officials Profit from Harvest of Illegal Wood
Officials within the agency entrusted with protecting Bolivia's forests falsified data and provided documents legitimizing the illegal harvesting of timber, a...
Analysis /
Report Finds Peru Timber Trade Taken Over by Criminal Networks
A new report offering a detailed statistical breakdown of Peru’s timber trade exposes the staggering levels of illegality that have contaminated the country’s...
Analysis /
Can Crocodile and Turtle Farms Reduce Mexico’s Eco-Trafficking?
Government-regulated crocodile and turtle farms have helped reduce illegal hunting and protect endangered species, but the illicit trade...
Analysis /
The Increasing Dangers Facing Latin America’s Park Rangers
A park ranger’s shooting in Costa Rica and the slaying of another in a Colombian reserve show the dangers rangers face in protected areas -- as diverse in flora...
Brief /
Colombia Fails to Tackle Illegal Fishing in Malpelo Reserve
Colombia's island of Malpelo, home to a vast marine reserve, is suffering the consequences of staggering illegal fishing by domestic and foreign crews, with...
Analysis /
Timber Laundering in Peru: The Mafia Within
The mafia that makes trafficking of illegally-sourced wood possible in Peru is not made up of timber trade outlaws. It is a network of corrupt...
Analysis /
Timber Laundering in Peru: The Mafia in the Middle
Illegal timber in Peru is sourced and sold across the country. But most of the money laundering happens in between these destinations. Our team traveled to...
Brief /
Peru Wildlife Agency Eases Export of Illegal Shark Fins
Peru’s government agency entrusted with protecting endangered species is under investigation for collaborating with shark fin traffickers who export illegal...
Brief /
Fish Bladders Mean Big Business for Chinese and Mexican Smugglers
The swim bladder of an endangered fish caught only in Mexico nets tens of thousands of dollars in China’s black markets, with traffickers from both countries...
Brief /
Eco-Trafficking Thrives Along Lawless Guatemala-Belize Border
A poorly defined and lawless border region between Belize and Guatemala is proving to be fertile ground for eco traffickers to further their criminal interests,...