Earth League International unveils most comprehensive investigative report to date on Shark Fin Trafficking from Latin America to Asia, and Environmental Crime Convergence   April 22, 2024. Earth League International (ELI) is proud to announce the release of a groundbreaking report titled Operation STELLA MARIS: Investigating Shark Fin Trafficking Networks in Latin America and East Asia Through the [...]

Earth League International (ELI) and Partners Uncover a Major Wildlife Trafficking Network in Europe, Leading to a Law Enforcement Operation and Arrest in The Netherlands. A New Report on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Los Angeles, 28 February 2024 – After a year and a half of investigative work across The Netherlands and other European countries, [...]

Earth League International and John Jay College of Criminal Justice unveil ground-breaking Report on Environmental Crime Convergence June 6, 2023. Earth League International (ELI) and John Jay College of Criminal Justice are proud to announce the release of a grounded-breaking report titled Environmental Crime Convergence: Launching an Environmental Crime Convergence Paradigm Through Investigation of Transnational Organized Crime Operations. Representing [...]

Top Totoaba and Marine Animals International Traffickers Have Been Arrested in the U.S. with the Support of Earth League International May 31, 2023. A big victory for the last remaining vaquitas and the marine life in Baja California. With the technical support of Earth League International (ELI), after a long investigation, U.S. Law Enforcement agencies decapitated [...]

FINAL REPORT ON JAGUAR TRAFFICKING The Netherlands, March 2023. In 2019 Earth League International (ELI), in partnership with IUCN NL, launched 'Operation Jaguar', generously funded by the Dutch Postcode Lottery. The primary objective of this program was to combat jaguar trafficking across Bolivia, Peru, Guyana, and Suriname, guided by four strategic avenues: Systematically comprehend the [...]

OPERATION FAKE GOLD The Totoaba Illegal Supply Chain - From Mexico's Totoaba Cartels to China's Totoaba Maw Wholesalers An Illegal Trade Killing the Vaquita In response to the dire circumstances facing the vaquita as by-catch of the illegal totoaba trade, in 2018 Earth League International (ELI) commenced an intelligence gathering operation called Operation FAKE GOLD. Since [...]

'Operation Jaguar' Summary Report: Researching Crime Convergence to better understand and combat jaguar trafficking   Los Angeles, 14 November 2022 / Since 2017, 'Operation Jaguar' has aimed to tackle jaguar trafficking in Latin America, focusing on the trade’s scale, nature and dynamics. It is a joint project of IUCN Netherlands, Earth League International (ELI), and the [...]

Explaining Environmental and Organized Crime Convergence Through a Systematic Analysis of the Operational Dynamics of Transnational Criminal Groups: a new research paradigm by ELI   Los Angeles, November 12, 2022 / Earth League International (ELI) has partnered with John Jay College of Criminal Justice to produce a ground-breaking summary report on Environmental Crime Convergence. As one [...]

THE FIRST REPORT OF WILDLEAKS THE WORLD’S FIRST WHISTLEBLOWER INITIATIVE DEDICATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL/WILDLIFE CRIME   September 8, 2020: Six years after the launch of the WildLeaks Project, Earth League International (ELI) is thrilled to release its first comprehensive report on this ground-breaking initiative. ELI realized, years ago, that the most crucial information about environmental/wildlife crime, and [...]

POACHING AND TRAFFICKING OF JAGUARS IN LATIN AMERICA   Operation Jaguar is a joint project of IUCN Netherlands, Earth League International, and IFAW, and is made possible by the Dutch Postcode Lottery. Jaguars are being poached and trafficked from multiple countries in Latin America destined for the Chinese market, to be sold as tiger's parts. [...]

In 2018, Earth League International performed Operation OX in partnership with Avaaz and Oxford University  Illegal Ivory Sold in Europe   Illegal Ivory Trade in Europe - the report European officials have purported that there is no evidence that the legal ivory trade in the EU is providing cover for illegal ivory. To test this [...]

OPERATION MOZART Thailand: Earth League International's intelligence gathering efforts led to the arrest of wildlife crime kingpins, including one of the most significant rhino horn traffickers in South East Asia. Bangkok, 12 December 2017. The Royal Thai Customs seizes 12.5 kg of rhino horn setting the stage for a ‘flash operation’ that has led to the [...]

Chimpanzees Rescue in Africa   Operation Jane, named in honor of Dr. Jane Goodall, is one of Earth League International’s standing projects and our only non-investigative project. In collaboration with Annie Olivecrona, based in Kenya, Earth League International funds and operationally supports the identification and rescue of chimpanzee victims of wildlife crime being held captive across Africa. [...]

OPERATION RED CLOUD: GRINDING RHINO The First Undercover Investigation into Rhino Horn Trafficking from Africa to China in Decades Los Angeles, July 18, 2017. Earth League International (formerly Elephant Action League) is proud to release GRINDING RHINO, a public report detailing another expansive and successful undercover investigative operation. In response to unprecedented growth in rhinoceros poaching rates in the past ten [...]

OPERATION AUSTRALIA In Spring 2016, the Earth League International (formerly Elephant Action League) commenced an investigation codenamed Operation Australia in Thailand targeting the trafficking of live orangutans and birds from Indonesia for the illegal live pet trade. Intelligence was obtained that POI (Person of Interest) Mr. Pichet Muangrsi, aka Galim, was in possession of four [...]

OPERATION GAME OVER BLENDING IVORY: OLD LOOPHOLES, NEW HOPES AN UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION ON CHINA’S IVORY TRADE Los Angeles, January 10, 2016. ELI (formerly Elephant Action League) publishes today a report on its undercover investigation in mainland China and Hong Kong in an effort to expose the areas where illegal ivory opportunistically enters the legal ivory market, and where China’s legal [...]

CUSTOM EXCERPT Based on these investigative efforts, we estimated that in that period up to 3 tons of ivory was smuggled from Kenya

A CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS OF ELEPHANT POACHING AND IVORY TRAFFICKING IN EAST AFRICA This case study takes data directly from the field collected by Elephant Action League and a partner in the field who infiltrated four elephant poaching and ivory trafficking networks in East Africa. What we found is in some respects at odds with the [...]

OPERATION VIEWPOINT An undercover survey of the Port of Mombasa by the Elephant Action League & WildLeaks reveals important vulnerabilities and weaknesses in shipping security procedures and confirms how corruption facilitates the role of the port as a major hub in ivory trafficking, with serious national and international security implications. Los Angeles, May 28, 2015 [...]

Upon the conclusion of our investigations, ELI prepares a Confidential Intelligence Brief (CIB) to share with relevant law enforcement bodies at national, regional, and international levels, depending on the nature of intelligence and which agencies are well-positioned to take effective action.   The CIB is arguably the most important piece of output from our intelligence and investigative activities. [...]