The Special Investigation Group (SIG) on Countering Wildlife Trafficking was convened from 27–29 January 2026 at the ASEANAPOL Secretariat in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The meeting brought together law enforcement and investigative officials, including six p

The Special Investigation Group (SIG) on Countering Wildlife Trafficking was convened from 27–29 January 2026 at the ASEANAPOL Secretariat in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The meeting brought together law enforcement and investigative officials, including six participants from Thailand, eight from Malaysia, four from India, and one from Lao PDR, with the support of ASEANAPOL, Freeland, and the International Wildlife Trust (IWT). The objective was to enhance cross-border cooperation in addressing live animal and exotic pet trafficking.

The meeting was attended by Freeland Founder, Mr. Steve Galster, Freeland Chief Executive Officer, Retired Police Major General Mr. Petcharat Sangchai, and facilitators from Freeland. It aimed to strengthen operational cooperation, intelligence sharing, and joint investigative planning among participating agencies through a structured “war room” approach.

Over the three-day meeting, participants developed a shared understanding of regional wildlife trafficking trends and organised criminal networks through strategic presentations and detailed country case briefings. These briefings highlighted key persons and businesses of interest, trafficking routes and methods, investigative progress, as well as existing intelligence and evidence gaps.

Overall, the SIG strengthened trust and operational coordination among participating agencies and generated clear, actionable outcomes to support sustained regional collaboration in combating transnational wildlife trafficking.

In his closing remarks, the Executive Director of the ASEANAPOL Secretariat, Police Senior Colonel Dr. Kongkrissada Kittithiraphong, expressed sincere appreciation to all participants for their active engagement, openness, and strong commitment. He conveyed his hope that the insights and best practices shared during the meeting would be beneficial to the participants and their respective departments, and that these would continue to be applied and built upon in the future as partners work together to keep their countries safe from wildlife crime. He concluded by thanking all organising partners and participants for their dedication and reaffirmed ASEANAPOL’s commitment to continued collaboration in combating wildlife trafficking in the region.