West Africa: EU-Supported Taskforce Seizes 735kg of Pangolin Scales

A major interdiction of 735.5 kilograms of pangolin scales by an EU-supported National Wildlife Crime Taskforce (WCTF) has once again placed the country at the center of the global fight against illegal wildlife trafficking, a multi-billion-dollar criminal industry increasingly linked to organized transnational networks.

The seizure, carried out with intelligence support from the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), led to the arrest of two suspects now in custody at Monrovia Central Prison. Authorities say investigations are ongoing to uncover the wider criminal supply chain believed to stretch across West Africa into Asian markets, where pangolin scales are illegally traded for traditional medicine despite no scientific evidence of medicinal value.

According to officials at the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), the operation was the result of coordinated intelligence-sharing between Liberian law enforcement and international partners.

"Wildlife crime is an organized crime, and defeating it requires an organized response," said Edward Y.N.W. Appleton, Chief of Forest Law Enforcement at the FDA and Coordinator of the WCTF. "With the precise intelligence provided by our international partners at the Wildlife Justice Commission, our taskforce was able to act swiftly, decisively, and safely."

Authorities described the bust as part of a growing shift in the country's enforcement posture--from reactive policing to intelligence-led operations targeting trafficking networks rather than isolated offenders.

The WCTF, established in 2019 and strengthened through EU-funded support under the PROBIO initiative ("Protecting biodiversity through law enforcement and community-led initiatives"), has recorded close to 100 convictions for wildlife and forest crimes in the past two years alone.

Pangolins are small, nocturnal mammals covered in keratin scales. Found across Africa and Asia, they are now considered the most heavily trafficked mammals in the world.

Despite being fully protected under Liberian law and international conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), pangolins remain a prime target for poachers. Their scales are falsely believed in some markets--particularly in parts of Asia--to treat ailments ranging from inflammation to cancer, claims that have been widely discredited by medical science.

Conservation experts say West Africa has become a major source and transit hub for pangolin trafficking due to forest biodiversity, porous borders, and the involvement of organized crime groups.

"This is not petty