Interpol Media Release

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INTERPOL media release

17 November 2008

 

*Africa** sees largest-ever international operation against wildlife crime,

coordinated with INTERPOL*

 

An operation across Africa on Saturday targeting wildlife crime has led to

the arrest of almost 60 people and the seizure of one ton of illegal

elephant ivory. The one-day sweep targeted more than 50 locations, including

local ivory markets, airports, border crossings and smuggling points. The

arrests and seizures were part of a five-country law enforcement operation

coordinated by INTERPOL.

 

Operation Baba involved more than 300 law enforcement officers from police,

customs, national wildlife and national intelligence agencies in Congo

(Brazzaville), Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, and represented the

largest-ever international wildlife law enforcement operation conducted in

Africa.

 

Illegal domestic ivory markets have been persistently identified by nature

conservation agencies - including CITES, the UN-administered endangered

species treaty - as a major factor in continued poaching of elephants and

illegal trade in ivory. Operation Baba was planned to address that problem

and is the first in a series of operations of this nature being planned

worldwide.

 

" With the 'globalization' of criminal syndicates, transnational co-operation

is the key to successful law enforcement, as has been seen in Operation

Baba, " said INTERPOL's Executive Director for Police Services, Jean-Michel

Louboutin.

 

" This is where INTERPOL's central role of facilitating co-operation between

law enforcement agencies in multiple countries proves its worth, " he said.

" The operation's positive results were achieved because of the concerted

cross-border action of police, wildlife and intelligence agencies. "

 

The Director of INTERPOL's Operational Assistance, Services and

Infrastructure Support (OASIS) programme, Giuliano Zaccardelli, said that

OASIS helped countries in Africa mount such anti-crime operations by

enhancing the capacity of countries to address crime threats nationally,

regionally and globally.

 

" Co-operation among countries in East, West and Southern Africa against

wildlife crime has set an inspired example. Similar operations to Baba could

also be conducted in Asia, the Americas and in any other region where

criminals traffic illegal wildlife products, " he said.

 

Operation Baba was named to honour the memory of Gilbert Baba, a Ghana

Wildlife Department ranger who was murdered by illegal wildlife dealers a

decade ago. The operation was co-ordinated by the INTERPOL General

Secretariat, based in Lyon, France, and involved the participation of

agencies that are members of the INTERPOL Working Group on Wildlife Crime

with additional support from The Humane Society of Canada, Humane Society

International, and IFAW - the International Fund for Animal Welfare, as well

as by the participating agencies.

 

Important support was provided by the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF),

created in 1994 by governments in the region as a mechanism for regional

co-operation to fight illegal trade in plants and animals.

 

 

Funding to support this significant operation was provided by the German

Federal Government as part of the INTERPOL General Secretariat Project OASIS

Africa initiative which aims to develop operational capacities for policing

in the region, and is designed to enhance the ability to effectively combat

and tackle national and international crimes.

 

 

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