The illegal wildlife supply chain involves poachers, brokers/runners, intermediaries and dealers, exporters and importers, wholesale traders and retailers (UNODC, 2020a).

In some cases, individuals play multiple roles in a network. At multiple points the illegal supply chain intersects with legal trading networks (FATF, 2020). 

Identifying criminal activity presents challenges to law enforcement and analysts because “wildlife products are not always intrinsically illegal, and they are not necessarily trafficked through black-markets or via underground networks or through illegal operations” (Vervaele, 2017).

The infographic on the following page sets out some key vulnerabilities for illegal wildlife products to enter legal supply chains.