[ad_1]
A famous Colombian fashion designer who sold leather bags to celebrities has been extradited from Colombia to the US and charged with wildlife trafficking.
On July 8, the Colombian Attorney General’s Office announced that police officers had arrested three individuals in Cali on charges of illegally transporting skins from rare and endangered animals to the United States.
Among those arrested was fashion designer Nancy Gonzalez, whose clients include Hollywood actress Salma Hayek and pop star Britney Spears, the Associated Press reported.
watch out: Donkey skin trade on the northern coast of Colombia
In announcing the arrests, the Attorney General’s Office detailed the gang’s plan to smuggle the goods out of Colombia and into the United States.
The criminals contacted residents of the department of Valle del Cauca, the capital of Cali, and convinced them to travel to the United States with the leather goods. The travelers were paid $600 per trip and were told that the leather goods would be gifts for family or friends if the authorities asked for them.
Gonzalez’s products, some made from crocodile and snakeskin, were showcased at New York Fashion Week. Her personal website shows her items are sold in department stores including Harrods and Bloomingdales and across Europe and the US. According to Asuntos Legales, outside of Colombia, Gonzalez’s wallets can cost between $510 and $10,000, depending on the model.
The group faces up to 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, W Radio reported.
Insight Criminal Analysis
Nancy Gonzalez and two other suspects will be the first to be extradited from Latin America to the United States.
The extradition would set a precedent in a region highly attractive to wildlife traffickers. However, whether the regional governments have the capacity to deport the traffickers remains a matter of debate.
Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, with a biosphere of great potential for criminal organizations to exploit.
watch out: Mexican vaquita Marina struggles to survive in Mexico’s heavy illegal fishing
But the country has struggled to stop such crimes. Fewer seizures have been made in many Colombian hunting grounds due to poor territorial availability. In September 2021, an InSight Crime investigation revealed the full extent of wildlife trafficking and how it extends beyond the likes of Gonzalez.
Birds, reptiles, amphibians, felines and primates are all routinely snared by sophisticated crime networks. From scientific experimentation to tourism, from fake medical services to religious rituals, Colombia’s wildlife is constantly poached. Regardless of the intended purpose, the modus operandi is often the same.
Members of local communities are contacted to monitor and capture specific species based on the client’s needs. The captured creatures are killed, skinned, or their bandages and claws removed, depending on the intended use. Ultimately, whether dead or alive, the animals are transported out of the region, often “legally” dumped using inaccurate information filled with legal documents, InSight Crime found.
.
Was this content helpful?
We want to maintain the largest Latin American organized crime database, but we need resources to do so.
Donate
What’s your idea? Click here to send your feedback to InSight Crime.
Readers are encouraged to copy and distribute our works for non-commercial purposes, by inlining InSight Crime and linking to the original at the top and bottom of the text. See the Creative Commons website for more details on how to share our work, and please email us if you use an article.
[ad_2]
Source link
