Operation Dragon: Revealing New Evidence of the Scale of Corruption and Trafficking in the Turtle and Tortoise Trade

The illegal trade in freshwater turtles and tortoises to supply the pet trade is a multi-million dollar industry. The scale of this trafficking is so vast that experts worry about whether wild populations will be able to recover.

In 2016, the Wildlife Justice Commission launched a two year investigation called Operation Dragon to shine a spotlight on the wildlife crimes, the criminals and the corruption that facilitates turtle trafficking. They systematically gathered evidence on the inner workings of eight major wildlife trafficking networks, through undercover investigators on the ground and on social media platforms.

During Operation Dragon, WJC investigators were offered more than 20,400 freshwater turtles and tortoises from 16 different CITES listed species. Based on the traffickers’ own price lists, the wholesale value of the animals documented and offered is USD 3,198,403.

As a result of this investigation, eight wildlife trafficking networks were significantly disrupted and 30 arrests made. More than 6,000 freshwater turtles and tortoises, including threatened species such as the black spotted turtle Geoclemys hamiltonii and the Indian star tortoise Geochelone elegans, were seized from traffickers.