Illegal Shipments Research Articles

TimberSleuth: Visual anomaly detection with human feedback for mitigating the illegal timber trade

Detecting illegal shipments in the global timber trade poses a massive challenge to enforcement agencies. The massive volume and complexity of timber shipments and obfuscations within international trade data, intentional or not, necessitates an automated system to aid in detecting specific shipments that potentially contain illegally harvested wood. To address these requirements we build a novel human-in-the-loop visual analytics system called TIMBERSLEUTH. TimberSleuth uses a novel scoring model reinforced through human feedback to improve upon the relevance of the results of the system while using an off-the-shelf anomaly detection model. Detailed evaluation is performed using real data with synthetic anomalies to test the machine intelligence that drives the system. We design interactive visualizations to enable analysis of pertinent details of anomalous trade records so that analysts can determine if a record is relevant and provide iterative feedback. This feedback is utilized by the machine learning model to improve the precision of the output.

Circular solar: Evaluating the profitability of a photovoltaic panel recycling plant.

Photovoltaic (PV) panels have a crucial role in coping with the global warming mitigation and the energetic crisis currently affecting the European Community. However, from the circular perspective of end-of-life (EoL) management, there are still big issues to be solved in order to recover materials from this kind of e-wastes. Because of several reasons (e.g. type of embedded materials, illegal shipments, location of manufacturers) EoL businesses do not have the interest in approaching them. This poses a significant environmental concern in terms of their management. This work wants to assess the profitability of a specific PV module recycling plant, by evaluating several market contexts in which multiple scenarios of material price, investment and process costs will be considered. The results for a 3000 tonnes plant show that profitability is not verified in the absence of an avoided landfill cost. Instead, when a value of 200 €/tonnes is applied, the net present value is positive in 35.2% of the scenarios and at 87.6% when a value of 350 €/tonnes is considered. The policy choice of this value requires linking the PV module disposal fee to the circular benefits associated with its recovery.

Nematode and Acanthocephalan Parasites of Confiscated Sunda pangolins, Manis javanica Desmarest, 1822 (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae), with an Updated List of the Parasites of Pangolins

Background: The Sunda pangolin, Manis javanica Desmarest, 1822, is a critically endangered species of pangolin that occurs from Indonesia to southern China. Knowledge of the biology and ecology of M. javanica is limited, however there have been previous reports of parasites, including nematodes, protozoans, ticks, and a cestode. Methods: An illegal shipment of 88 M. javanica carcasses, originally collected from wild populations throughout southeast Asia, were intercepted by Hong Kong border authorities (AFCD) and confiscated in 2018. Results: During necropsy, two different types of parasites were collected from four infected pangolins. The parasites were identified as the nematode Gendrespirura cf. zschokkei (Meyer, 1896) Chabaud 1958, which were embedded in the stomach wall, and the acanthocephalan, Oligacanthorhynchidae sp., collected from the intestine. Morphological descriptions and molecular characterization for each parasite type is provided. Conclusions: In addition, an updated list of parasites from pangolins, incorporating current taxonomic identifications and publications is presented.

Digging into waste: an analysis of waste crime in the Italian provinces

ABSTRACT This article examines the drivers of waste crime using a panel dataset at the provincial level in Italy. The results demonstrate that while waste crime is characterized by some degree of inertia, it lacks significant spatial patterns and does not respond to general modes of deterrence. With respect to income, the human capital effect prevails over the scale effect. An inefficient public sector and inadequate waste management system result in higher waste crime rates. The hauling and storage facilities also provide several opportunities for illegal shipment and disposal, which organized crime groups can especially exploit.

Sharks on a plane: Large shark fin seizure shines light on shark exploitation

One of the biggest threats to sustainability of shark populations is overexploitation due to high global market demand for fins, meat, skin, and cartilage. Current laws designed to regulate the worldwide trade in certain shark species have not stemmed illegal and unreported trade. In January 2020, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) wildlife inspectors seized an illegal shipment of shark fins at the Miami airport during an inspection of an in-transit shipment from South America to Asia. The shipment contained over 5000 fins, placing it among the largest seizures in the US to date. We utilized a combination of morphological and genetic analyses to evaluate species diversity of the sharks targeted for this illegal shipment. Morphological identification of pectoral (n = 2435) and dorsal (n = 1301) fins revealed over 50 % were obtained from CITES Appendix II species, including silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran), and scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini). A random subset of dorsal fins (n = 149) was sampled from each of the CITES species and the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) fins (n = 49), to confirm our morphological identifications using genetic data. In addition, a subset of morphologically unidentified fins (n = 192) was genetically identified to estimate species diversity of the fins not identified by morphological analysis. The genetic results revealed 11 additional species for a total of 14 species identified within the shipment. The data from the genetic and morphological analysis of this case will be used to inform ongoing investigations of the origin of this illegal shipment, as well as future investigations of shark fisheries undergoing exploitation for the shark fin trade.

BORDER MANAGEMENT AND PROCEDURE IN CASE OF HIGH LEVEL OF RADIATION AT THE BORDER CROSSINGS IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

The aim of this paper is to strengthen the ability of border crossing staff to check the presence of persons and vehicles for possible presence of radioactive materials outside regulatory control, in an effort to prevent smuggling and illicit trafficking in such means and materials. Regarding the use of radiation detection equipment, which is used at the border crossings in the Republic of North Macedonia, for the needs of control and verification of the entire import and export for possible presence of radioactive shipments. It documents the overall detailed process that the officers involved (customs officers and border police) will use to detect all radioactive material passing through the site, the process that will be used to determine the legitimacy of the radioactive substances that would be detected and the most appropriate way, which should be reacted and acted upon if illegal shipments of this type are detected. Information that will help existing and new officials to perform their duties in a timely manner, in an appropriate and consistent manner.

Analyzing the Environmental Risks from Electronic Waste Dumping in the West African Region

The West African region as an emerging frontier in untapped natural resource market is now at the receiving end of illegal shipment of unwanted Electronic waste (E-waste) to vulnerable populations in different countries. Like many areas in the global south, West Africa finds itself in an unwanted place as the preferred graveyard for dumping these items. Besides, many view the trade in second hand electronic items as fiscal gold mine with greater potentials to improve the welfare of citizens in West Africa. This comes under the guise of trading in used shipments from Europe and the US for the purposes of creating new jobs in the West African region, despite the unlawful nature. Given the overall public health risks to those drawn to the sector in lieu of life-threatening exposure to ailments and ecosystem degradation. The receiving nations like Nigeria, Ivory coast, and Ghana have not only endured widespread risks to their water sources in areas adjacent to dump sites. But, over the past years, E-waste operations have grown to troubling proportions in the region as the abandoned components littered in local landfills undercut the aesthetic beauty of cities. With people unaware of the hazards, scavengers, haulers, and technicians regularly exposed to doses of E-waste contaminants face serious health problems. Just as the exposures to E-waste chemicals trigger the hospitalization of victims across West Africa, little has been done to assess the frequency of the problems and the ecological impacts using mix scale techniques. For that, this enquiry will fill that void by assessing the state of E-wastes and the risks in the West African region with emphasis on the issues, trends, impacts, factors, and efforts using secondary data connected to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and descriptive statistics to track the patterns. The results show increases in the volume of E-waste dumping in the region over the years with impacts on the ecosystem coupled with public health risks. The GIS mapping of the trends pinpointed spatial dispersion of risks and stressors across different clusters of areas in the zone with the problems linked to factors ranging from socio-economic variables, policy, and physical forces. For remedy, the paper proffered various solutions such as effective laws, regular monitoring, sectoral reforms, public enlightenment program and the design of a regional E-waste information system.

Trends in illegal wildlife trade across the EU between 2015 and 2020

This paper deals with threats posed to biodiversity and human health by illegal trafficking of animals, plants, and related natural products. This activity contributes even to climate change. Altogether, these activities compromise environmental sustainability, therefore, urgent action is needed. For over one-decade, international communities, and organizations (UNODC, Interpol, Europol, and EU) have been warning on these wildlife crimes. We examine seizure data on illegal imports into and out of the European Union (EU) of illegal animal and plant species, protected by the international CITES Convention. Trends of these imports are evaluated over a five-year interval. This activity is global and poses serious threats, so its knowledge is of paramount importance to researchers, law enforcement agencies, and judicial authorities. In the meanwhile, the illegal smuggling offers undeserved benefits to criminals, and they may become a new form of organized crime. In our quantitative research, we collected data from the wildlifetradeportal.com database. The database was searched for the 27 Member States of the EU, and the time interval from January 1, 2015 to October 10, 2020 was selected. We grouped and systematized obtained data by countries and based on individual seizures, we found the method of illegal shipment (by road, air, or sea). In addition, we identified the object of the smuggled goods (animal or plant species), the quantity, which was smuggled. We screened the source countries of exports to the EU and the destination countries of imports.After systematizing collected data, as described here, we established that for each species the same target and source country occur recurrently (over ten times), i.e., older and newer trends can be observed, and seized quantities are also significant. Our findings offer further research directions, analysis opportunities, and new challenges for law enforcement agencies. Based on our results, one can state that this topic deserves priority treatment, and that effective action can only be envisaged via cooperation between individual EU Member States, as well as EU States and third countries

Fighting waste crime: legal and practical challenges

This article presents an overview of EU and of national measures implemented in the field of criminal law to fight the illegal shipment of waste. This type of criminality is frequently engaged in by criminal organised groups. Ten years have elapsed since the expiry of the deadline for the implementation of the Directive, creating an opportunity to look into national capacities to struggle with this type of crime. Through application of provisions implemented in the EU Member States to comply with Directive 2008/99 in that period, several legal and practical challenges have been identified. At the same time, practical solutions have been introduced at the EU and national level to enhance the efficient combating of this phenomenon. Although no ideal remedy has been developed to tackle problems related to waste disposal and criminal law does not by itself prevent crime from being committed, the continuous monitoring of national strategies and the capacities of competent authorities dedicated to the fight against waste crimes seem to be a proven way to improve the level of the protection of the environment.

Global occurrence, chemical properties, and ecological impacts of e-wastes (IUPAC Technical Report)

Abstract The waste stream of obsolete electronic equipment grows exponentially, creating a worldwide pollution and resource problem. Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) comprises a heterogeneous mix of glass, plastics (including flame retardants and other additives), metals (including rare Earth elements), and metalloids. The e-waste issue is complex and multi-faceted. In examining the different aspects of e-waste, informal recycling in developing countries has been identified as a primary concern, due to widespread illegal shipments; weak environmental, as well as health and safety, regulations; lack of technology; and inadequate waste treatment structure. For example, Nigeria, Ghana, India, Pakistan, and China have all been identified as hotspots for the disposal of e-waste. This article presents a critical examination on the chemical nature of e-waste and the resulting environmental impacts on, for example, microbial biodiversity, flora, and fauna in e-waste recycling sites around the world. It highlights the different types of risk assessment approaches required when evaluating the ecological impact of e-waste. Additionally, it presents examples of chemistry playing a role in potential solutions. The information presented here will be informative to relevant stakeholders seeking to devise integrated management strategies to tackle this global environmental concern.

International wildlife trade, avian influenza, organised crime and the effectiveness of CITES: The Chinese hwamei as a case study

The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is the most important global initiative to monitor and regulate the international trade of plants and animals, but there is a lack of (retrospective) assessments of the effectiveness of its actions. We here focus on the international trade in Chinese hwamei Garrulax canorus, a songbird native to south-eastern China and northern Lao PDR and Vietnam. Prior to the year 2000, the species was heavily traded as an ornamental cage bird, both in countries within and outside its natural range. In an effort to prevent international overexploitation, at the request of China, the Chinese hwamei was listed in Appendix II of CITES, regulating all international trade. Here we compare data from three non-range countries (Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia) for which we have bird market survey data prior to and following the CITES listing. In addition, we assess whether or not CITES import and export figures agree with observations in the bird markets, and explore the contemporary (online) trade and trafficking in Chinese hwamei. We find a clear effect of the CITES listing and Chinese export restrictions in Indonesia (before ~50 birds/survey vs ~15 birds/survey after), but not in Thailand (~10 vs ~13) and Singapore (~4 vs ~16). Singapore is the only country that reports the import of Chinese hwamei, 1650 birds in 2002–2004 only, possibly accounting for a proportion of the birds observed in trade. In contrast, neither Thailand nor Indonesia report the import of a single Chinese hwamei since its CITES listing, despite some 2000 birds having been recorded openly for sale, suggesting large-scale illegal international trade in the species. Five seizures in Singapore and Indonesia were mostly because of concern about avian influenza. Price data, corrected for inflation, suggests that prices for Chinese hwamei have increased substantially, albeit following a delay, from ~US$50 prior to the listing to ~ US$200 after. We conclude that the CITES Appendix II listing of Chinese hwamei has had some positive effect on reducing the volumes of these birds in international trade, mainly through implementation of domestic legislation in China, but that substantial illegal or undocumented trade persists in Southeast Asia, involving organised criminal networks. We recommend actions from range countries, such as China, to cease the illegal export of Chinese hwamei, from importing countries such as Indonesia, to ensure no illegal shipments of birds enter their country, and for consumer countries where the species cannot legally be traded to curb the illegal domestic trade as the demand for songbirds in these markets drives the trafficking.

Reasons of the illegal production, sale or shipment of drugs,commited by a person using his official position

Reasons of the illegal production, sale or shipment of drugs,commited by a person using his official position

Contribución al estudio de la salida delictiva de obras de arte al extranjero durante la Guerra Civil

El tráfico ilegal de obras de arte al extranjero durante la Guerra Civil española no ha sido todavía objeto de investigaciones sistemáticas, debido en gran parte a su evidente dificultad investigadora por la escasa, dispersa y en parte poco fiable documentación de archivo. El propósito de este artículo es aportar una nueva documentación en gran parte inédita que ayude al estudio de esta difícil cuestión, basándose principalmente en fuentes primarias. La primera tarea radica en diferenciar claramente entre la evacuación oficial para hacer escapar las obras del peligro de la guerra y la
 salida delictiva de obras de arte, a pesar de que para el franquismo todo era producto del “robo de los rojos”; la segunda, establecer cuáles fueron los principales actuantes en este tráfico ilegal y sus medios y procedimientos. Y, finalmente, analizar las actuaciones de ambos gobiernos para combatir la salida ilegal de obras de arte al extranjero.

Lab chemicals supplier charged with illegal shipments

A federal grand jury has indicted lab chemical supplier AK Scientific, based in Union City, Calif., and its owner, Peiwen Zhou, for smuggling and illegally shipping hazardous chemicals. According to allegations contained in the indictment, Zhou told his employees to purchase hazardous chemicals (using false names) from suppliers in China. The indictment also charges that Zhou told employees to ship chemicals to customers in the U.S. and abroad without labeling them as hazardous. Reached via e-mail, an AK spokesperson describes the company’s hazardous materials shipment program as “industry leading.” He adds that “AK Scientific looks forward to working with the government to reach a just and reasonable conclusion.” If convicted, Zhou faces 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the smuggling charge alone. AK faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and several years of probation. The indictment alleges, for instance, that AK smuggled 25 kg of

Summarizing US Wildlife Trade with an Eye Toward Assessing the Risk of Infectious Disease Introduction

The aim of this study was to characterize the role of the USA in the global exchange of wildlife and describe high volume trade with an eye toward prioritizing health risk assessment questions for further analysis. Here we summarize nearly 14 years (2000–2013) of the most comprehensive data available (USFWS LEMIS system), involving 11 billion individual specimens and an additional 977 million kilograms of wildlife. The majority of shipments contained mammals (27%), while the majority of specimens imported were shells (57%) and tropical fish (25%). Most imports were facilitated by the aquatic and pet industry, resulting in one-third of all shipments containing live animals. The importer reported origin of wildlife was 77.7% wild-caught and 17.7% captive-reared. Indonesia was the leading exporter of legal shipments, while Mexico was the leading source reported for illegal shipments. At the specimen level, China was the leading exporter of legal and illegal wildlife imports. The number of annual declared shipments doubled during the period examined, illustrating continually increasing demand, which reinforces the need to scale up capacity for border inspections, risk management protocols and disease surveillance. Most regulatory oversight of wildlife trade is aimed at conservation, rather than prevention of disease introduction.

Cigarette sales to minors via the internet: how the story has changed in the wake of federal regulation

ObjectiveTo assess how easily minors can purchase cigarettes online and online cigarette vendors’ compliance with federal age/ID verification and shipping regulations, North Carolina's 2013 tobacco age verification law, and federal...

North–south trade in reusable goods: Green design meets illegal shipments of waste

In a stylized model of international trade, firms in the North indirectly export second-hand products to a representative firm in the South to be reused as intermediate goods, with potential trade gains. The level of reusability of waste products – or green design – is a crucial choice variable in the North. This is because, in the presence of imperfect international monitoring, non-reusable waste can be illegally mixed with reusable waste. I explore the driving forces for illegal waste movement, with a particular focus on local waste regulations such as the EU׳s Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Under mild conditions, it is shown that increasingly stringent regulations in the North can induce Northern firms to reduce product reusability. Consequently, the flow of non-reusable waste to the South increases, magnifying the pollution haven effect.

An overview of waste crime, its characteristics, and the vulnerability of the EU waste sector

While waste is increasingly viewed as a resource to be globally traded, increased regulatory control on waste across Europe has created the conditions where waste crime now operates alongside a legitimate waste sector. Waste crime,is an environmental crime and a form of white-collar crime, which exploits the physical characteristics of waste, the complexity of the collection and downstream infrastructure, and the market opportunities for profit. This paper highlights some of the factors which make the waste sector vulnerable to waste crime. These factors include new legislation and its weak regulatory enforcement, the economics of waste treatment, where legal and safe treatment of waste can be more expensive than illegal operations, the complexity of the waste sector and the different actors who can have some involvement, directly or indirectly, in the movement of illegal wastes, and finally that waste can be hidden or disguised and creates an opportunity for illegal businesses to operate alongside legitimate waste operators. The study also considers waste crime from the perspective of particular waste streams that are often associated with illegal shipment or through illegal treatment and disposal. For each, the nature of the crime which occurs is shown to differ, but for each, vulnerabilities to waste crime are evident. The paper also describes some approaches which can be adopted by regulators and those involved in developing new legislation for identifying where opportunities for waste crime occurs and how to prevent it.

Cryptic variation and the tragedy of unrecognized taxa: the case of international trade in the spiny turtle Heosemys spinosa (Testudines: Geoemydidae)

Loss of habitat and human exploitation have driven many turtle species to the brink of extinction, particularly in many parts of southern Asia. The spiny turtle (Heosemys spinosa) is a terrestrial species distributed throughout the Sundaland region of South-East Asia. Despite international legislative protection, H. spinosa continues to be illegally collected for the food and traditional medicine markets of China. Given its widespread distribution, taxonomists have reasonably questioned whether H. spinosa truly represents a single evolutionary lineage or multiple undiagnosed species. Recently, a large and illegal shipment of rare, wild-caught H. spinosa was confiscated in Hong Kong, China, and the turtles were eventually distributed to several zoos and academic collections. Based on analyses of these individuals, along with additional individuals from the pet trade and museum collections, we found concordant genetic and phenotypic variation, indicating that two distinct types of H. spinosa exist in this collection of turtles. Further characterization of this variation will require field surveys and the collection of additional morphological and genetic data from specimens of known geographic provenance. However, our data indicate that this highly exploited, endangered species may contain additional cryptic taxa, and emphasize the critical need for systematic evaluation of species before unrecognized variation is lost forever. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 164, 811–824.

Transboundary Movement of Waste: Second-Hand Markets and Illegal Shipments

In a stylized model of international trade, firms in the North indirectly export second-hand products to a representative firm in the South to be reused as intermediate goods, with potential trade gains. The level of reusability of waste products is a crucial choice variable in the North. This is because, in the presence of imperfect international monitoring, non-reusable waste can be illegally mixed with reusable waste. I explore the driving forces for illegal waste movement, with a particular focus on local waste regulations such as the EU’s Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.