December 21, 2023
Endangered animals including elephants, rhinos and pangolins, as well as protected timber, particularly tropical hardwoods, have been seized in a joint INTERPOL - World Customs Organization (WCO) operation to stop wildlife and timber trafficking.
From October 2 - 27, customs and police officers around the world coordinated some 500 arrests worldwide and 2,114 confiscations of animals and plants that are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) due to their threatened status. Any trade performed in breach of CITES is illegal.
The global operation, named Operation Thunder, involved police, customs, border control, environment, wildlife and forestry officials in 133 countries who worked together across borders. This marked the highest participation rate in Operation Thunder since the annual law enforcement campaign was launched in 2017.
In Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers led multiple enforcement operations across the country, with support from the Canada Border Services Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and their provincial and territorial counterparts.
Enforcement officers and partners carried out targeted inspections at mail centres, airports, cargo centres, and ports of entry across Canada.
Their efforts resulted in the identification of numerous violations, resulting in the seizure or detainment of numerous species (or their respective parts and derivatives), which are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Items include:
Thirty boxes of crocodile-oil cream
Two boxes and eight freezer bags containing shark fin
Twenty wood carvings made from African mahogany
Eight Green Tree Pythons
Ten boxes of face cream containing Chinese Ground Orchid
Three packages of tiger-powder balm
Fifty cactus plants and 15 cactus pieces
Seven boxes of pills containing Potato Orchid
Fourteen Sandhill Cranes
One alligator head
Two live tortoises
Two black bear bacula
Operation Thunder 2023 is the seventh global operation in the yearly "Thunder" series, which started with Operation Thunderbird in 2017.