Zambia Seizes Nearly 550kg Of Illegal Ivory In Major Wildlife Trafficking Bust
Zambian law enforcement agents, acting on intelligence provided by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), raided a house in the capital city of Lusaka on March 9 and arrested nine Zambians, including an individual from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who were allegedly involved in the illegal wildlife trade.
During the operation, officers from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) seized just under 550kg of ivory discovered at the property, along with additional ivory recovered during a follow-up operation.
According to EIA, the raid marked the successful conclusion of an operation that had been underway for several months and disrupted an alleged international ivory trafficking syndicate that had reportedly been operating across Southern Africa with impunity for years.
“This operation is one small part of a broader initiative to address alleged organised criminal networks operating in the Southern African region, spanning many countries and involving many nationalities,” said EIA Executive Director, Mary Rice.
“But it demonstrates what can be achieved when intelligence-led investigations and information are applied in a targeted and strategic manner and we congratulate the DNPW for providing an excellent example of a strong enforcement response.”
EIA has spent more than 40 years investigating, documenting, and exposing illegal wildlife trafficking networks operating throughout Africa and, whenever possible, provides actionable intelligence to authorities to help disrupt criminal groups accused of exploiting natural resources, weak governance, and corruption connected to the trade.
“Unfortunately, Zambia has a long history of being exploited by criminal networks who have often operated with impunity and implicating the country in large ivory seizures as far back as 2002, so this decisive, well-executed operation is particularly welcome,” added Rice.
“These networks exploit any lack of political will and weak enforcement. They are facilitated by corrupt officials and marginalised communities who are criminalised to supply their trade and they have allegedly been orchestrating poaching expeditions into Botswana to source ivory, which they then traffic out through neighboring countries such as Namibia and Angola.”
EIA stated that it will closely monitor the resulting legal action against the suspects.
