CBI and INTERPOL are jointly organizing a two-day regional fact-finding meeting to combat tiger trafficking

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in collaboration with INTERPOL, is co-organizing a two-day Regional Investigative and Analytical Case Meeting (RIACM) at its headquarters in New Delhi on October 3 and 4, 2024. The meeting will focus on addressing the critical issue of tiger trafficking networks, a transnational threat that endangers the safety of tigers and other big cats across the region.

About the event

The event brings together domain experts from INTERPOL’s Environmental Security Program, senior law enforcement officials from Nepal, and representatives from India’s specialized agencies dealing with wildlife crimes, including the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and the Economic Offenses-II section of the CBI, specialized in environmental and wildlife crime.

The primary focus of this RIACM is to further strengthen cross-border law enforcement cooperation between Indian and Nepalese law enforcement authorities and facilitate criminal intelligence sharing on routes, trends and criminal networks in the tiger trade.

A major concern remains the smuggling route from India, via Nepal, to China, which is still often used for the illegal trade in tigers, leopards and other big cats. Middlemen and traders involved in these networks coordinate the collection, storage and sale of contraband, facilitating its transportation to Far Eastern markets.

A great platform for Indian and Nepalese authorities

The meeting will provide a platform for Indian and Nepalese authorities to exchange details on ongoing investigations related to the tiger trade, with the aim of strengthening intelligence-based enforcement actions. Participants will re-map existing criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking, with a focus on identifying new targets and re-investigating outstanding criminal entities for further coordinated action.

Indian and Nepalese authorities will work closely to launch operations against identified criminal targets, using INTERPOL channels to collaborate with law enforcement agencies in other countries affected by the smuggling routes. INTERPOL’s global reach and resources will be used to facilitate the exchange of information, identify international links in criminal networks and coordinate transnational efforts to disrupt the illegal wildlife trade.

The two-day meeting underlines the importance of international cooperation in combating the tiger trade, which has serious consequences for the conservation of biodiversity in the region. It also highlights India’s proactive efforts to curb illegal wildlife trade linked to one of the world’s most iconic species.

The outcomes of this RIACM are expected to improve coordination between law enforcement authorities in both India and Nepal, with the overarching goal of breaking the chains of tiger trafficking that extend across borders.