MOSCOW, November 17 (Sputnik) — Interpol called on the public Monday to assist in locating nine of 139 fugitives who have committed grave environmental crimes, in the agency’s first of such operations.
“Sometimes all it takes is a fresh pair of eyes to bring new momentum to an investigation and provide the missing clue which will help locate these wanted individuals, some of whom have been evading justice for years,” Interpol criminal intelligence officer Ioannis Kokkinis was quoted as saying in a report published on the organization's website.
“Even the smallest detail, which you might think is insignificant, has the potential to break a case wide open when combined with other evidence the police already have,” he added.
Operation Infra Terra was launched on October 6, in search of fugitives wanted by 36 member states for crimes including illegal fishing, wildlife trafficking and trading in illicit ivory, the report says.
Among the most wanted fugitives is Feisal Mohamed Ali, a Kenyan ringleader of an ivory smuggling syndicate. The illicit trade in ivory has resulted in a 62 percent decline in the population of elephants between 2002 and 2011, according to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Further to this, it was uncovered that environmental crimes have been linked to funding terrorist groups and militias from its revenues, Stefano Carvelli, head of Interpol’s fugitive investigative support unit, said in the report.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, environmental crimes reach $70 billion to $213 billion per year, and have funded, among others, the al-Shabaab terrorist group of Somalia, as well as militias from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The operation was set up following the success of similar operations in the United States and Southeast Asia that led to the arrest of about 600 fugitives. Interpol is working directly with member states in sharing information on the suspects and their possible locations, in an attempt to dismantle transnational organized crime groups.
