PARIS, June 20 (Xinhua) -- An international operation against the illegal trade in wildlife and timber has resulted in millions of dollars-worth of seizures as well as arrests of suspects, the international police agency Interpol announced on Wednesday.
The one-month operation, codenamed Thunderstorm, has so far brought 1,974 seizures, including 43 tonnes of wild meat (including bear, elephant, crocodile, whale and zebra), 1.3 tonnes of raw and processed elephant ivory, and 27,000 reptiles.
In addition, almost 4,000 birds, including pelicans, ostriches, parrots and owls, several tonnes of wood and timber, 48 live primates and 14 big cats (tiger, lion, leopard and jaguar) were also seized.
Besides, police had spotted 1,400 suspects, triggering arrests and investigations worldwide, the Interpol said in statement.
"Operation Thunderstorm has seen significant seizures at global level, showing how coordinated global operations can maximize impact," Jurgen Stock, Interpol Secretary General, said.
"By revealing how wildlife trafficking groups use the same routes as criminals involved in other crime areas -- often hand in hand with tax evasion, corruption, money laundering and violent crime -- Operation Thunderstorm sends a clear message to wildlife criminals that the world's law enforcement community is homing in on them," he added.
The operation involved police, customs, border, environment, wildlife and forestry agencies from 92 countries.
