By Elisabeth Gish | Grants Manager/Community Conservation Advisor
2022 has been quite a year for the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team whose operations against illegal wildlife trafficking are supported by your generous donations. With domestic measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 no longer limiting the Team’s operations, in the first 9 months of 2022 we already arrested more offenders and seized more wildlife parts than during all of last year. From January-September, the Team has:
Perhaps the most consequential case this year occurred as a result of tip-offs from our covert informants, an in-depth investigation by our Team and great cooperation with other Cambodian law enforcement authorities. The case now has been fully processed through the Court system, so here is an update on the final impacts!
As described in earlier reports, following a 2-year investigation into a major wildlife trader, in mid-March 2022 the Team raided his Phnom Penh home. The operation yielded huge quantities illegal products, including: 100+ lbs. of ivory and 25 lbs. of Elephant molars, 90 lbs. of Boar tusks, teeth and fur, 78 pieces of Deer horn, and 14 Eastern Porcupine stomachs. In addition, large quantities of parts from non-natives and species that are extinct in Cambodia were seized - 70 pieces of Tiger and Lion skin, 72 Tiger whiskers, 4 Tiger skin purses and 1 mounted Lion head. Due to the high volume and value of wildlife seized, and the obviously foreign origins of some of it, Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) joined the case. While many cases unfortunately result simply in fines due to low penalties under Forestry Law, the ACU can press charges based on economic crimes so this offender was sent to pre-trial detention and his assets were frozen by the ACU’s committee on money laundering. Through months of ongoing collaboration between our Team and ACU officers, others in his wildlife trafficking network were identified by tracing his financial transactions.
As a result, in July the Phnom Penh Court charged three offenders under Articles 96 and 98 of the Forestry Law, and Articles 3, 29 and 30 of the Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. The original trafficker who was arrested by our Team was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment and a fine of 40,000,000 Riel (USD $10,000). Two other offenders linked to his case through our investigations were sentenced in abstentia to 3 years imprisonment and fines of 50,000,000 Riel each, and the Court has issued warrants for their arrest. In addition, the Court confiscated 1 car, 1 telephone, 4 plots of land and/or houses and money from 6 different bank accounts!
This case represents what we believe are the most serious sentences ever issued for wildlife crimes in Cambodia. The fact that these wildlife traffickers were put in pre-trial detention, their assets were frozen, and they were prosecuted was covered by a variety of Khmer-language and English media outlets, raising public awareness that participating in the illegal wildlife industry can indeed lead to serious consequences. We hope the outcomes in this case will be a strong deterrent for people participating in the illegal wildlife trade, and that it is a sign that offenders caught in future will also be prosecuted to the full extent possible under Cambodian law.
Support from donors like you is vital to paying informant fees and salary supplements for the Government officers on our Team, which makes possible our wildlife law enforcement operations and this kind of highly effective cross-departmental collaboration. Thank you so much for helping us to combat the illegal wildlife trade!
If you are planning to make any year-end gifts, please mark your calendars for November 29th when you can help us earn a portion of GlobalGiving’s $1.2 MILLION USD Incentive Fund. All unique donations of up to $2,500 made November 29, 2022 from 12:01AM-11:59PM Eastern Time will be matched! To meet the match requirements each donation must be:
1) Made via GlobalGiving’s website during the campaign period.
2) Made by a unique individual with a distinct name, email, and payment account (only 1 donation per person will be matched, even if you give to multiple projects).
3) Donations must be made by the account or card holder.
4) Acceptable payment methods include: credit or debit card, Paypal, individually purchased GlobalGiving gift cards (corporate gift cards are ineligible), and M-Changa/M-Pesa.
The more we raise, the more matching funds we’ll receive!
We know times are tight and appreciate all that you do already. If you cannot afford to donate right now, please consider sharing this report with friends or family to spread the word about our work and this Giving Tuesday opportunity. Best wishes for a wonderful giving season.
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