Three suspected wildlife traffickers are facing charges before the High Court in Yokadouma, Boumba and Ngoko Division of the East region of Cameroon for the illegal trade in pangolin scales. They were arrested on May 5 with more than 700 kilograms of pangolin scales during a major crackdown against wildlife crime.
The arrest was carried out by the Boumba and Ngoko Divisional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife, in collaboration with the Gendarmerie and with technical assistance from LAGA.
Wildlife authorities arrested the three alleged traffickers who are part of a sprawling wildlife crime network operating across Cameroon and extending into Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, the Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea. Preliminary reports pointed out that the suspects specialized in the illegal trade of pangolin scales, which they collected and stockpiled over time while concealing their activities under the guise of trading non timber forest products.
Pangolins are among the most trafficked mammals in the world and as such face threat in their survival. Cameroon is home to three of pangolin species – the white-bellied, the black-bellied and giant pangolins which are all classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened species. In a note that was made public immediately after the arrests in May, the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife denounced the massacre of pangolins and reaffirmed its determination to fight the illegal trade in the country.
The matter is presently under investigation by an examining magistrate in Yokadouma. The suspects risk up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to 50 million CFA francs if found guilty under 2024 wildlife law.
