The United States has offered a reward of $1 million for information leading to the dismantling of the Laos-based Xaysavang Network engaged in poaching of endangered elephants, rhinos and other species for products such as ivory.

The State Department's first-ever reward for information leading to the break up of a transnational criminal organization, as part of its new Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, was announced on Wednesday by Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Xaysavang Network has affiliates in South Africa, Mozambique, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China. Several major seizures of illegal wildlife products have been linked to the Network.

The Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program was established by the Congress this year as a tool to assist the U.S. government to identify and bring to justice members of significant transnational criminal organizations.

The involvement of sophisticated transnational criminal organizations in wildlife trafficking perpetuates corruption, threatens the rule of law and border security in fragile regions, and destabilizes communities that depend on wildlife for biodiversity and eco-tourism, Kerry said in a statement. Profits from wildlife trafficking, estimated at $8-10 billion per year, fund other illicit activities such as narcotics, arms, and human trafficking.

by RTT Staff Writer