10 June 2015, Kasane, Botswana. The Kasane Conference On The Illegal Wildlife Trade held on 25 March 2015 in Botswana and were attended by representatives of Governments and Regional Economic Integration Organisations.

The dignitaries statement was as below:

(i) We, the representatives of Governments and Regional Economic Integration Organisations*, gathered in Kasane on 25 March 2015, recognising the detrimental economic, security, social, and environmental implications of the illegal trade in wildlife, make the following political commitment and call upon the international community to act together to bring this to an end.
(ii) In doing so the Governments and Regional Economic Integration Organisations which adopted the London Declaration on the Illegal Wildlife Trade reaffirm our determination to implement the commitments made in that Declaration. We welcome the important action already being taken by Governments and others in implementing the actions decided at the London Conference.
(iii) We welcome the action taken by Governments to implement their obligations and commitments under international agreements, including under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
(iv) We also welcome the convening of a number of other high-level events and the commitments to combat the illegal wildlife trade made at them. The London Conference and these events have generated significant momentum at international, regional and national level to enhance efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade more effectively, to raise the profile of illegal wildlife trade and to secure political support for these efforts.
(v) The need for decisive and urgent action to tackle the trafficking of endangered fauna and flora remains greater than ever. Despite efforts to date for many species, the illegal trade, and the poaching which fuels it, is an ongoing and growing problem. To this end we, the Governments and Regional Economic Integration Organisations which adopted the London Declaration and are represented in Kasane, recognise the progress made since the London Conference and welcome those Governments that are newly participating in the Kasane Conference. All participants commit to provide the political leadership and practical support needed to find a lasting solution to the illegal wildlife trade and decide to take the following actions.
ACTIONS
A. ERADICATING THE MARKET FOR ILLEGAL WILDLIFE PRODUCTS
In the In the London Conference Declaration, it was recognised that the illegal wildlife trade can only be effectively tackled if we eradicate both the demand for and supply of illegal wildlife products wherever in the world this occurs. To this end we, the representatives of Governments and Regional Economic Integration Organisations gathered in Kasane on 25 March 2015 commit ourselves, and call upon the international community, to take the following action, to:

Read the rest of the statement in the attached document.

Rhino horns seized in Mozambique's 'biggest bust' stolen

Large Chinese Money Laundering Network Dismantled

Yesterday, Europol supported the Spanish Guardia Civil in carrying out Operation Snake. The operation targeted and dismantled a large transnational organised crime network which operated in Spain and was composed of Chinese citizens laundering the proceeds of various criminal activities. 　

Operating since at least 2009, this criminal network is thought to be the subsidiary of an even larger criminal network based in China. Over the last six years, the European branch of the group collected and laundered more than EUR 300 million primarily in southern European countries. Most of the laundered funds are believed to have already been transferred out of the EU. 　

The network imported various types of products into the EU, including counterfeit products, using fraudulent document and engaging in excise tax fraud. The criminal network facilitated its activities by establishing complex corporate structures and relying on front men and third parties in their transactions.

Imported products were sold in the EU without declaring excise taxes and generated significant profits of at least EUR 14 million. These undeclared profits were laundered using a large number of low-level associates, who deposited small sums of money in hundreds of personal bank accounts and transferred the money back to China.

Having established an infrastructure to successfully launder significant amounts of money, the Chinese network also offered money laundering and international remittance services to other organised crime groups in exchange for the payment of a negotiated percentage of the laundered funds. The Chinese network had contacts in various EU Member States including Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The group also operated several clothing factories in the vicinity of Madrid where Chinese labourers were exploited.

Operation Snake involved more than 200 Spanish law enforcement officers and was supported by Europol's Financial Intelligence Group. The Operation was the result of a complex international criminal investigation lasting for more than two years.

Operation Snake so far resulted in the arrests of 32 members of the Chinese network, the search of 65 private residences and company premises in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia as well as the seizure of 20 high-value vehicles and more than EUR 1 million in cash.

The Operation is still on-going and new arrests and seizures are expected to take place over the next hours and days.

Europol was able to make valuable and tangible contribution to this successful operation by assisting the Spanish Guardia Civil with the deployment of a Europol team to Madrid. The team provided on-the-spot real-time intelligence analysis, which allowed for the identification of several transnational links.

Mbongeni Mguni
March 25, 2015
(Bloomberg) -- Thirty-one governments ranging from China to Zambia agreed to
strengthen laws to clamp down on the illegal wildlife trade, which is worth $10 billion a
year.
"We will pursue organized criminal networks involved in the illegal wildlife trade,” the
governments said in a statement released on Wednesday at a conference in Kasane,
Botswana. Steps will be taken "with regard to the detection of money laundering and
other financial crime connections with illegal wildlife trade.”
The countries agreed to amend legislation to treat wildlife trade crimes as predicate
offenses, meaning that they are considered to be connected to money laundering. That
would make the crimes easier to prosecute.
"The commitment to follow the money is a huge, innovative step that provides a
mechanism to bring down the trafficking kingpins by hitting them where it hurts - in their
pockets,” said Steven Broad, executive director of TRAFFIC, a non governmental
organization that monitors wildlife trade.
Botswana has the world's biggest populations of elephants and borders South Africa,
where poaching of rhinos has surged to record levels. Elephant ivory and rhino horns
are in demand in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam where the growing middle
class is boosting demand for illegal wildlife products. Rhino horn powder is believed to
cure cancer in east Asia.
"China is an interesting player in all this and the skyrocketing demand for illegal wildlife
has come from the growing middle class there,” Ginette Hemley, senior vice president of
Wildlife Conservation at the World Wildlife Fund said in an interview from New York.
"How do we persuade that middle class? that's where there's a lot of work to do.”
Vietnam also attended the conference.
Retrieved from: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-25/money-launderingvia-
wildlife-to-be-fought-from-china-to-zambia