Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards 2020: Sudarshan Panthee & Birendra Singh Johari
Category: Impact
Inspector Panthee and Sub-Inspector Johari led a years-long investigation that resulted in the arrest of a notorious illegal wildlife trader, Kunjok Chiring Tamang, operating between China, India and Nepal on 25 June 2020. Tamang had been on the run since 2005, when he was convicted as the main trafficker after a seizure of 5 tiger skins, 36 leopard skins, 238 otter skins and 113 Kg of tiger bones near the Nepal-China border. The two officers showed exemplary commitment and perseverance in tracking Tamang through supply networks and financial analysis, uncovering hidden identities and further revealing crimes of money laundering.
Source: UN Environment Programme
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