LYON, France: In a case involving the smuggling of 116 live tortoises into Thailand, a Ukrainian woman was arrested during an INTERPOL operation and has now been extradited to Tanzania to face prosecution. The suspect, who had concealed CITES-protected tortoise species in her luggage while traveling from Dar es Salaam to Bangkok in July 2022, initially evaded prosecution in Thailand but was eventually located and extradited from Bulgaria to Tanzania on June 17, 2023, thanks to intensive international police cooperation. It has been determined that the suspect collaborated with partners from Egypt and Tanzania to commit these offenses. CITES, a multilateral treaty aimed at safeguarding endangered plants and animals from the perils of international trade, is involved in this matter.
Following the suspect’s escape from Thailand, Tanzania requested the issuance of two INTERPOL Red Notices globally, one for the suspect and another for another suspected tortoise trafficker. Recognizing the Ukrainian fugitive as a significant member of a vast transnational wildlife smuggling network, the INTERPOL General Secretariat dispatched an operational support team to Bangkok to assist local authorities in pursuing leads stemming from the arrest and seizure and to aid in the fugitive’s location. A regional investigative analytical case meeting, held in Lyon from February 20-22 and hosted by the General Secretariat, focused on locating the two individuals listed in the Red Notices, with the participation of investigators and prosecutors from Tanzania, Thailand, and Egypt. Subsequently, the Ukrainian fugitive was apprehended while crossing the Bulgaria-Turkey border, thanks to the Red Notice alerting law enforcement authorities at the land border.
The fugitive now faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years for offenses under the Wildlife Conservation Act and Economic Organized Crime Control Act. Operation Golden Strike, which occurred in July 2022, aimed to combat wildlife trafficking and resulted in significant wildlife seizures, over 300 arrests, and the dismantling of networks involved in smuggling wildlife between Asia and Africa. Financed by the Chinese government, this operation brought together various law enforcement agencies from 28 countries to simultaneously inspect parcels, suitcases, vehicles, boats, and cargo transporters transiting between the two continents. It is important to note that INTERPOL’s environmental security activities rely on sustainable partnerships and external funding.
