The Albanese Government is doing more than ever to combat the global scourge of wildlife trafficking.
Cutting-edge technology, international collaborations and more compliance resources have seen more than 200 export seizures at Australia’s borders and 18 arrests in the past 18 months.
It comes as a 39-year-old man from Hong Kong was today sentenced to 3 years 6 months in jail, with a 2-year non-parole period, for attempting to post nearly 100 Australian reptiles to Hong Kong. He will be deported at the conclusion of his sentence.
Man Lung Ma plead guilty in June 2024 to 19 counts of attempting to export Australian reptiles, including skinks, geckos and a monitor, between August and September 2023. He was convicted in October 2024.
Mr Ma tried to mail the reptiles in 29 separate parcels from post offices across Queensland, NSW, the ACT and Victoria. The reptiles were found hidden in packages with socks, newspapers, bags of lollies, and plastic children’s toys.
Mr Ma was arrested at a Sydney hotel in September 2023 as part of Operation Blade, led by the specialist Environmental Crime Team in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
At the hotel, investigators found another 12 live native reptiles in small containers in cupboards and unused parcel boxes.
Operation Blade has also led to two foreign nationals associated with the criminal syndicate being banned from entering Australia.
As wildlife crime grows around the world, the Australian Government has boosted efforts to combat it.
Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek last year expanded DCCEEW’s Environmental Crime Team, which leads Australia’s efforts to stamp out the global illegal trade.
The team works collaboratively with other Australian government and state government agencies, Australia Post, various wildlife conservation facilities, and international partner agencies to identify and disrupt wildlife crimes.
This work includes exchanging intelligence, undertaking joint investigations, and implementing new processes and technologies to help detect smuggled wildlife, including Rapiscan Systems scanners.
Exporting Australian wildlife is a serious offence under Australia’s national environment law, with a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and fines of up to $313,000, or both.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek:
“We know Australia’s wildlife are highly lucrative to criminals and organised crime syndicates, especially those animals that are already vulnerable or threatened with extinction.
“Wildlife trafficking is worth about $30 billion a year in the East Asia and Pacific region alone. The price of Australian reptiles on the international black market can be more than 28 times the domestic price.
“The Albanese Government is determined to stamp out this cruel trade. Because of our increased investment, we’re seizing more animals at the Australian border.
“I’ve expanded the environmental crime team in my department, we’re using world-leading technology to detect smuggled wildlife, and we’re working with law enforcement here and around the world.
“Today’s sentencing sends a powerful warning to wildlife traffickers – we will find you; we will stop you, and you will feel the full force of the law.”
