Report

An illusion of legality: Wildlife laundering in Colombia and Mexico

This report from UK think tank RUSI uncovers how regulatory gaps and limited international cooperation enable wildlife laundering.

The critical issue of wildlife laundering – whereby illicit actors use legitimate corporate entities to fraudulently pass illegally harvested or obtained wildlife into legal supply chains – is a significant threat to biodiversity, national security and local livelihoods.

Focusing on Colombia and Mexico, the research for this paper uncovers how regulatory gaps, enforcement challenges and limited international cooperation enable wildlife laundering.

The paper provides actionable recommendations to strengthen legal frameworks, improve detection and compliance through technological innovation and systematise international and cross-sector collaboration to combat this transnational crime.