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More than 10,000 shark fins have been seized in Peru in a major international operation, another powerful reminder of the horrific scale of the global shark fin trade.
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On November 10, a joint operation led by the Organized Crime Investigation Division of the Environment Directorate of the National Police of Peru (DIVINCCOMA), with key support from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Anti-Narcotics Affairs and Law Enforcement Section (INL), resulted in the seizure of 9.3 metric tons of shark fins in Callao, Peru. Three members of a transnational criminal network were arrested.
This historic seizure ranks among the largest shark fin busts in Latin America, delivering a significant blow against wildlife trafficking and the criminal networks driving the destruction of marine ecosystems.
The seized fins came from blue sharks, pelagic fox sharks, and common fox sharks, all species facing varying degrees of threat. Peruvian National Police estimate the shipment’s value at more than $11.2 million on the international market.
Investigators uncovered an illegal network that purchased fins from Ecuadorian fishermen, falsely declaring them as caught in Peruvian waters to move them through the supply chain. Once dried and stored in Callao, Peru, the fins were destined for export to China.
At the request of Peruvian authorities, INTERPOL provided digital forensics and analytical support to assist with follow-up transnational investigations. A November 19 report confirmed that those arrested were linked to a criminal scheme involving illegal extraction, trafficking of genetic resources, and organized environmental crime.
The shark fin trade is one of the most brutal forms of wildlife exploitation on the planet. Sharks are often hauled onto boats, their fins sliced off while they are still alive, and their mutilated bodies thrown back into the ocean to slowly suffocate or bleed to death. This cruelty is driven entirely by greed and profit.
Each year, tens of millions of sharks are killed for their fins, decimating shark populations worldwide. As apex predators, sharks play a critical role in maintaining balance in marine ecosystems. Their removal triggers ripple effects that destabilize food webs, degrade coral reefs, and push oceans closer to ecological collapse.
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing also threatens Peru’s economy and coastal communities, with impacts felt far beyond its borders, including in the United States.
The USFWS provided financing, operational coordination, and specialized training throughout the investigation. Doug Ault, Deputy Director of Law Enforcement for the USFWS, stated, “This operation demonstrates the direct impact of cooperation between the United States and Peru to confront wildlife trafficking and organized environmental crime, which threaten marine ecosystems, local economies, and regional security.”
This operation was carried out by the same team that launched the Joint Planning and Coordination Center in Chorrillos in October. Funded by the USFWS, the center enhances Peru’s law enforcement capacity to counter illegal fishing, maritime trafficking, and other illicit activities in its waters.
World Animal News commends all investigators involved for their commitment to protecting sharks and other critical marine species. This seizure has saved countless sharks from a brutal fate, but the fight is far from over. The shark fin trade is driving our oceans toward ecological collapse, and it must end once and for all.
World Animal News
