Overview
- Authorities in 134 countries made 4,620 seizures covering protected animals, plants, illegally logged timber and derivatives.
- Investigators identified about 1,100 suspects and issued 69 Interpol notices, with arrests reported in South Africa, Vietnam and Qatar.
- Officers confiscated a record 5.8 tonnes of bushmeat and reported increased trafficking from Africa into Europe.
- Nearly 10,500 butterflies, spiders and other insects were seized, highlighting a surge in exotic arthropod trade and related biosecurity risks.
- Interpol estimates wildlife crime at about $20 billion a year, with the true scale likely higher due to the clandestine nature of the trade.