In the first analysis of its kind since the COVID-19 pandemic, the EIA’s offices in the United States and United Kingdom uncover how Vietnam continues to be exploited by organized crime networks to smuggle illegal wildlife products between Africa and Asia. Vietnam may be the center of this web of international trafficking operations, but it cannot solve this problem alone.
As the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and the phase-out of ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) progress in the U.S. and globally, illegal imports of these super pollutant substances are a serious and growing threat. Smuggled or counterfeit refrigerants not only break the law, but can pose significant safety risks to technicians, consumers, and equipment.
EIA’s evidence over the years has shown time and time again that a legal ivory trade cannot be part of the solution to protecting elephants – it just doesn’t work. While most major markets have closed in recent years, Japan has been holding tightly onto its ivory industry and its ivory market remains open. But right now, Japan has the opportunity to turn its stance around.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act is a landmark law that has protected much-loved American marine species from harm. It is not hyperbole to say that the radical, anti-science, pro-industry draft reauthorization bill would destroy marine mammal conservation in the United States.
Acting on EIA’s intelligence, Peruvian customs authorities stopped approximately 4 tons of Mexican mercury in June 2025, the largest seizure ever reported by an Amazonian country. This groundbreaking case sheds new light on the enforcement gaps and loopholes of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, raising urgent questions about its effectiveness to face the often highly covert and organized criminal groups that control mercury and gold trafficking.
La última investigación de EIA revela la mayor operación de contrabando de mercurio jamás documentada. El informe expone cómo las minas de mercurio en México, algunas presuntamente controladas por el crimen organizado, están impulsando una cadena de suministro mortal que vincula la minería de oro, la devastación ambiental y las violaciones de derechos humanos.