By Kotie Geldenhuys
Photos/images courtesy of ChatGTP and Pixabay
Illicit logging, wildlife trafficking and illegal mining activities result in huge gains for the criminals who launder the proceeds of their illicit activities through elaborate financial schemes. With the escalation of such environmental crimes, it has become equally important to trace the money flows.
Environmental crime and money laundering are two closely linked and global forms of crime, posing a threat to security and sustainable development. Environmental crimes such as illegal logging, wildlife trade, illegal fishing, illegal mining, dangerous waste dumping, illegal hazardous waste trafficking and land clearance generate huge profits for criminal organisations. Money laundering activities, or the process of covering up the sources of these illegally acquired proceeds and making them part of the legitimate financial system, are how criminal organisations expand their criminal activities (Financial Crime Academy, 2026).
******************************
[This is only an extract of an article published in Servamus: September 2026. This article is available for purchase.]