Police Repatriate Chinese Fugitive Wanted for Pangolin Trafficking
The Nigeria Police Force has repatriated a Chinese national wanted for alleged wildlife trafficking to the People’s Republic of China, where he is expected to face prosecution over the smuggling of about 12 tonnes of endangered pangolin scales.
The fugitive, identified as 42-year-old Cai Jinlian, was arrested by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja on July 18 following intelligence that he had been living in Nigeria after fleeing China.
Police said Jinlian is accused of masterminding the illegal shipment of two consignments of tree pangolin scales from Nigeria to China between November 2018 and April 2019. The case was investigated by the Anti-Smuggling Sub Bureau of Wenzhou Customs, while two of his alleged accomplices were convicted and sentenced to more than 14 years in prison by the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court of Zhejiang Province in December 2020.
According to the Nigeria Police, Jinlian fled China for Egypt on July 12, 2019, before an arrest warrant was issued against him on March 24, 2020. An INTERPOL Red Notice was subsequently circulated on May 10, 2020, leading to international efforts to locate and apprehend him.
Investigations later revealed that the suspect relocated to Nigeria around 2023, where he reportedly moved between Delta and Plateau states before his eventual arrest in Abuja.
The Police said Jinlian was repatriated to Shanghai on July 29 under bilateral law enforcement cooperation arrangements to answer the pending charges against him.
Inspector-General of Police Olutunji Rilwan Disu commended officers of INTERPOL NCB Abuja for the successful operation and directed the Force’s Environmental Crimes and Works of Art Team to intensify intelligence-led operations against wildlife trafficking and other forms of transnational organised crime.
He reiterated the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with international law enforcement agencies through INTERPOL and other strategic partnerships to combat cross-border crime and safeguard endangered wildlife.
By TimesNG