More than 175 tonnes of illegal timber bound for Asia have been seized in transit as part of a global operation to tackle timber trafficking.
Interpol and the World Customs Organization (WCO), along with police, border control and customs officials from more than 100 different countries were involved in the operation, tracing the timber from Asia via ocean freight to Indonesia and Kenya. Alongside the seized timber, investigators also recovered more than 20,000 live animals and made more than 350 arrests.
In a statement, Interpol said: “Authorities also investigated online activities and found suspects using multiple profiles and linked accounts across social media platforms and marketplaces to expand their reach.”
Interpol has estimated that the trade in black-market timber could be worth up to $150 billion a year (between 15% and 30% of the total value of global forest products). A 2023 report by DW Europe found that in that year 120 million tons of European timber had no official certificate of origin.
