Wildlife Traffickers Arrested Across Africa in Major Crackdown
Authorities across six African countries have arrested 15 wildlife traffickers, dismantling networks responsible for the illegal trade in pangolin scales, ivory, leopard skins, and marine species.
In Cameroon, three major traffickers were caught with 710 kilograms of pangolin scales, representing more than 2,300 animals killed. The scales were hidden in a carpenter’s workshop in Yokadouma, with links to poaching networks in Congo and the Central African Republic.
In Guinea, four traffickers were arrested with 41 kilograms of seahorses and 26 kilograms of shark and ray fins, exposing a criminal network active for decades across West Africa. The group traded with Chinese buyers through channels of corruption and bribery. This criminal network trafficked seahorses for over four decades, evolving into a vast cross-border network stretching across Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, and Senegal.
Further arrests included four traffickers in Congo with leopard skins and a skull, one of whom was a driver for a local authority. In Côte d’Ivoire, an ivory trafficker was caught with six elephant tusks and two hippo teeth. He belongs to a trafficking network, dealing in several other wildlife products.
In Uganda, two traffickers were found with a fresh leopard skin, while in Togo, another trafficker was arrested with two elephant tusks linked to a dangerous ring spanning Burkina Faso and Ghana. The trafficker transported the elephant tusks on the back of his motorcycle, carefully concealed in a grain bag
These arrests highlight the scale and persistence of wildlife trafficking networks across Africa, often operating with cross‑border complicity and corruption. They were carried out by wildlife officials working in collaboration with the EAGLE Network, a law enforcement body that supports governments in applying wildlife laws. The model originated in Cameroon through the partnership between the government and the Last Great Ape Organisation (LAGA). Over 3000 traffickers have been arrested in several African countries using the model.
Photos: Seahorses seized from traffickers in Guinea; Trafficker arrested with elephant tusks in Cote d’Ivoire
By Eric Tah Kaba
