Three wildlife traffickers are facing charges before the High Court in Yokadouma for the illegal trade in pangolin scales. The matter is presently under investigation by an examining magistrate in Yokadouma.
The three were arrested on May 5th with more than 700 kilograms of pangolin scales during a major crackdown against wildlife crime by the Boumba & Ngoko Divisional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife, in collaboration with the Gendarmerie and with technical assistance from LAGA.
In a note that was made public immediately after the arrests in May, the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife denounced the massacre of pangolins. It reaffirmed its determination to fight the illegal trade in the country.
The three alleged traffickers 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 said the suspects specialised 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 a threat to their survival. Cameroon is home to three pangolin species – the white-bellied, the black-bellied, and the giant pangolins, which are all classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
According to the 2024 Wildlife Law, the suspects risk up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to 50 million CFA francs if found guilty.