‘Toxic waste’ trafficking in West Asia and the Balkans: New route for international environmental crime

Environmental crime now extends beyond wildlife trafficking to include illegal waste trafficking, which has opened new avenues for international crime rings.

A recent Europol report reveals that toxic electronic waste, industrial chemicals, and nuclear waste are being illegally smuggled from developed countries to poorly regulated ports in West Asia and the Balkans.

These illegal trade rings often operate under the guise of forged documents and fake ‘recycling’ companies. They ship the waste as ‘recyclable goods’ to low-income countries, where it is processed cheaply and unsafely.

This process severely pollutes water and soil and poses serious health risks to local workers, often including children. This criminal activity is considered the third most profitable crime internationally, generating billions of dollars in illegal profits annually.

INTERPOL, the German Federal Environment Ministry, and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have launched a three-year partnership to combat environmental crime.

The initiative aims to use international cooperation and advanced technology to detect and combat this illegal trade. It highlights the importance of strengthening global surveillance and legal frameworks in the fight against environmental crime.