Justice Department Conducts Training on Timber and Wildlife Enforcement in Guatemala

The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) sent two attorneys to Guatemala earlier this month to conduct a workshop for Guatemalan law enforcement officials. Approximately 25 Guatemalan officials participated in the workshop. Funding for the trip was provided by the State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

The workshop included programming on investigating and prosecuting timber and wildlife trafficking, which together account for at least an estimated $60 billion annually in illegal revenue worldwide – revenue that often funds other illicit activities. Workshop participants also visited a nearby protected area to learn about forest management challenges in the region.

The photo is of a Ceiba tree, Guatemala’s national tree and considered sacred. Credit: ENRD.

When the Lacey Act was amended in 2008, the United States became one of the first countries to criminalize timber trafficking. ENRD prosecutes timber trafficking and works with other U.S. government agencies to implement broader enforcement strategies such as conducting training in areas where plants and animals are taken from to be sold abroad. And the Justice Department, through ENRD and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, is committed to prosecuting wildlife crimes.

Last year, ENRD personnel traveled to Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia to conduct similar trainings and workshops and help law enforcement personnel detect, investigate and prosecute environmental crimes. In addition to building law enforcement capabilities in those regions, the resulting network of professional contacts has facilitated law enforcement investigations and prosecutions in the United States.

Photo is of an informational banner outside the workshop training area. Credit: ENRD