How Corruption Fuels Wildlife Trafficking: Undercover Investigations into Chinese Criminal Networks in Latin America

The session will explore how corruption networks function in practice. Our invited speaker, Nicole Byrd, will share firsthand insights from Earth League International's intelligence and undercover investigations in Latin America. She will present the concrete ways Chinese criminal networks have been using corruption to facilitate and grow wildlife trafficking operations in the region. Drawing on case studies from the region, the discussion will also examine potential opportunities to leverage anti-money laundering frameworks and anti-corruption tools to counter wildlife trafficking.

The meeting will be held on Zoom in English with simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and French. It is open to current members of the Countering Environmental Corruption Practitioners Forum and its Follow-the-Money Working Group, as well as those potentially interested in joining.

Date & Time: 3 June 2026 (09.00 EST/15.00 CET)

Register here

Resources for the meeting:

• Money Talks: Ten Years of Firsthand Corruption Reporting from ELI Investigations
• Criminals Showed ELI How Much They Rely on Corruption