Combating Wildlife Trafficking in Peru: A Practical Guide for Mutual Legal Assistance in Cases of Wildlife Trafficking in Peru

Peru is a central link in the regional illegal wildlife supply chain. Organized criminal groups already engaging in drug trafficking or other organized criminal activity harness the power of their existing networks to diversify revenue and launder money through wildlife trafficking (WT).  Since 2020, ABA ROLI has partnered with the government of Peru in its effort to combat wildlife trafficking (CWT). ABA ROLI supports the enforcement, investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of wildlife crimes in Peru. Together, ABA ROLI and Peruvian entities enhance the capacity of justice sector institutions and promote cross-border and regional law enforcement coordination.

Through this program, ABA ROLI is developing and implementing training courses to strengthen the capacity of specialized units of the police, prosecution, and executive branch agencies specifically tasked with environmental law enforcement. The Practical Guide for Mutual Legal Assistance in Cases of Wildlife Trafficking in Peru (in Spanish) was created, within the framework of the ABA ROLI CWT program, to enhance the ability of Peruvian prosecutors to seek, and judges to facilitate, assistance from authorities in other countries in wildlife cases involving a transnational element. The guide provides a tool for operators of the justice system to facilitate the work of mutual coordination between countries to better combat wildlife trafficking—focusing on the interaction between of these border countries with Peru: Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, and Colombia. In addition, there are definitions on the nature and context of mutual legal assistance, information on the types of assistance available, and a detailed description of the processes and strategies to combat wildlife trafficking incorporated by the Peruvian authorities.  

View the e-guide version here.

View the PDF version here.

Learn more about ABA ROLI’s work across Latin America and the Caribbean.