An international network of wildlife trade on Facebook has been dismantled in Colombia

After six months of investigation, the Colombian authorities dismantled an international network of wildlife traffickers extracted from the Amazon, La Guajira and Orinoco, as well as neighboring countries like Venezuela. and Ecuador; and marketed them via a Facebook account throughout the national territory and in Mexico.

During an operation conducted jointly by the Sijin Police and the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Valle del Cauca (CVC), a search was conducted in two rural properties located in the municipalities of Palmira and Jamundí, in the department where we knew they were used to storing the species that they illegally trapped.

In the farms were found and saved 34 wild, exotic and domestic species, among which babillas, caimans, a three meter long boa constrictor, logs (a Mexican amphibian), hedgehogs, African frogs, a fisherman of pericos, badatoos, tarantulas and iguanas.

At first the authorities thought that it was a simple procedure of illegal detention of animals, but they discovered an entire international chain with suppliers (extractors) of animals. animals of their natural habitat in different countries, cash holders and sellers.

The investigation established that the animals were offered on a Facebook page called "Pets love Cali", on behalf of Wilmar Andrés Arboleda Bolaños, who made contact with customers. The criminal organization has sent the species through business intermediaries in several countries of Central America and in cities all over Colombia.

Cali police said in a statement that the rescued animals were under the responsibility of the authority of the environment, who will carry out recovery and rehabilitation processes to bring them back into their natural habitat, if possible . And he recalled that the commercialization, mobilization and illegal possession of wildlife is a crime punishable by law, with fines of up to $ 1,131,045 and 108 months in jail.

In addition, environmental authorities warned that the release of foreign animals in areas other than their natural habitat endangered native biodiversity. In this case, if African frogs and olojotes were left in Colombia, they could end up with native wildlife because they are aggressive species, causing irreparable ecological damage.

During the raid operation, three people left at the disposal of the prosecutor's office were also arrested. They will be charged with presumption of unlawful use of renewable natural resources and illegal possession of firearms, having found two pistols without safe conduct.