Wanted! New Police List Targets Environmental Criminals
December 1, 2014
Interpol, an international organization of police authorities, has launched its first operation asking for public assistance in locating and bringing to justice fugitives wanted specifically for crimes against the environment. The new Operation Infra (International Fugitive Round Up and Arrest) Terra includes a “Most Wanted” list of 9 of the 139 fugitives being sought for such crimes as wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, and trading in illegal ivory.
Environmental crime, according to Interpol, involves both wildlife crime–the illegal exploitation of the world’s wild flora and fauna–and pollution crime, the illegal trading and disposal of hazardous wastes or resources. Estimates of the annual value of environmental crime range from $70 billion to $213 billion. The illegal wildlife trade alone is worth some $19 billion a year, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. In recent years, terrorist organizations have turned to poaching and other forms of wildlife crime to fund their activities.
Poaching poses a major problem in a number of national parks that provide homes for threatened wildlife. This photograph shows elephant tusks that were seized from ivory poachers in Africa. (© Masterfile)
Among those on Interpol’s first environmental “Most Wanted” list are Italian Adriano Giacobone, wanted for, among other crimes, the illegal transport and discharge of toxic waste; Zambian Ben Simasiku, wanted for the unlawful possession of elephant tusks; and Indonesian Sudiman Sunoto, wanted for illegal logging. “We believe that the capture of these criminals on the run will contribute to the dismantlement of transnational crime groups who have turned environmental exploitation into a professional business with lucrative revenues,” said Interpol official Stefano Carvelli.
Additional World Book articles:
- Animal (The future of animals)
- Deforestation
- Elephant (Protecting elephants)
- Endangered species
- Rain forest (The future of rain forests)
- Wildlife conservation
