The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force reported on Tuesday that the illegal wildlife trade is a major transnational organized crime that is laundering as much as US$7 billion to US$23 billion in global profits each year.
In Europe, juvenile glass eels can be worth up to US$6,000 per kilo, according to FATF, an intergovernmental organization that sets global standards for anti-money laundering and efforts to counter the financing of terrorism and proliferation. Pangolin scales can earn hunters US$700 per kilogram, it said, while rhinoceros horn can fetch up to US$65,000 per kilogram.