U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Trafficking, GA 2023

SAVANNAH, GA – A multi-agency law enforcement crackdown on an international conspiracy has resulted in the seizure of over $3.9 million and the dismantling of a ring involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, and illegal wildlife trade.

The operation, dubbed ‘Operation Apex’, was led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the DEA, with support from various Organized Crime Drug Task Forces. The ring, alleged to have been active for at least a decade, targeted two businesses in Florida and California, along with a dozen individual defendants.

“Fearless and aggressive law enforcement brought an end to this sprawling, transnational conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “We have shut down an operation that fed a demand for illegally traded wildlife and seized assets from their despicable criminal enterprise.”

The 37-page indictment charges the defendants with Mail and Wire Fraud Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Controlled Substances; and Money Laundering Conspiracy. Penalties could include life in federal prison without parole.

According to the indictment, members of the Wu transnational criminal organization used false documents, sham businesses, and bank accounts to hide proceeds from wildlife trafficking, shark finning, drug trafficking, and money laundering. The seized assets included gold, silver, diamonds, marijuana plants, and cash.

Shark finning, a practice aimed at the demand for shark fin soup, is illegal under federal and state law. Agents also uncovered that conspirators deposited millions of dollars from illegal activities into business accounts in the U.S., Mexico, and Hong Kong to mask their profits.