Tigers killed to order in Cambodia

A damning new report has exposed the scale of Cambodia’s illegal wildlife trade, alleging that endangered species are being slaughtered on demand and sold through networks linked to wider organised crime.

Earth League International (ELI), an NGO specialising in environmental crime investigations, spent more than a year undercover in trafficking rings across the Lower Mekong. Its findings suggest that at least one tiger is killed each week, with meat, bones and even cubs offered to exclusive restaurants and private clubs in Phnom Penh. Prices for products such as tiger bone, pangolin scales and rhino horn were documented, with traffickers boasting of political protection and links to scam centres, drug networks and human trafficking.

The report, dubbed Operation Sandokan, describes a “criminal ecosystem” where wildlife trafficking converges with other illicit trades. One supplier claimed to earn up to $500,000 a month from a single customer running a scam operation. Investigators also traced supply chains stretching from Cambodia to Africa, Europe and South Asia.

ELI founder Andrea Crosta said the evidence shows how corruption and collusion allow traffickers to operate openly. While the NGO noted that demand has dipped since Cambodia’s crackdown on online scams in late 2025, it warned that criminal groups are shifting operations to Laos and Myanmar, leaving Cambodia as a key transit hub.

Intelligence from the investigation has been shared with US law enforcement, though some details remain withheld for ongoing inquiries. Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment has yet to respond formally.

The report underscores how wildlife crime is not an isolated issue but part of a broader web of transnational criminal activity. As Crosta put it: “This report brings that world into the open.”

-2026-06-05