DRI and CBI Jointly Dismantle Inter‑State Wildlife Trafficking Network

Earlier this month, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) partnered with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other agencies to expose a multi‑state wildlife‑trafficking syndicate operating between West Bengal and Maharashtra.

The operation resulted in the rescue of numerous protected species listed under Schedule‑1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Among the confiscated fauna were 15 slow lorises, two binturongs, 28 star turtles, six Egyptian vultures and two shrike birds.

The DRI's preliminary intelligence work identified the network's reliance on air and rail routes to move endangered creatures. Subsequent raids seized over 440 specimens, including albino red‑earred turtles, hypozero bearded dragons, African spur‑turtles, Borneo pythons, green iguanas, mangrove monitor lizards, Argentine black‑and‑white tegu, golden marmosos, yellow‑cheeked gibbons, Indonesian blue‑tongued skinks, Siamang gibbons, woolly monkeys, silvery lutungs, yellow‑bellied ball pythons, pastel ball pythons, among others.

These coordinated actions highlight DRI's expanding mandate beyond revenue crimes to include the protection of India's biodiversity from organized trans‑national smuggling.