Have you seen a man who loaded live giraffes into a Tanzanian military plane for delivery to Qatar? If so Interpol would like to speak with you. The international police agency Interpol recently began a Most Wanted campaign of suspects who have carried out such environmental crimes as wildlife trafficking, illegal fishing, illegal logging and trading in ivory. Interpol is asking for the public's help in tracking down nine suspects on that list. "Sometimes all it takes is a fresh pair of eyes to bring new momentum to an investigation," Ioannis Kokkinis, an Interpol criminal intelligence officer, said in a statement this week.
Among the nine most wanted is Ahmed Kamran. Interpol says Kamran allegedly paid for the transport of live giraffes and impalas by military plane from Kilimanjaro International Airport to be delivered to Qatar, where African wildlife like cheetahs are popular pets among affluent residents. Feisal Mohamed Ali is listed as a Most Wanted trafficker of ivory. Interpol says the Kenyan national was once found with 314 pieces of ivory weighing more than 2 tons. Interpol and the U.N. Environmental Program said this year that the illegal wildlife trade and environmental crimes like the illegal timber industry are worth an estimated $70 billion to $213 billion a year.
IN-DEPTH
- Rhinos for Sale: South Africa's New Conservation Tactic
- Ivory Atrocity: Crime Groups Speed Elephant Slaughter
- Ex-NBA Star Yao Ming's New Opponent: Poachers