Innovative Methodologies for Uncovering Environmental Crimes in the Oceans

Over 45% of Colombia's total territory is ocean

​

How was it done?

3,400

shark fins seized

in September 2021.

• The largest seizure of shark fins ever recorded in Colombia (five endangered species)

• Seized just six months after Colombia banned fishing and trading in sharks and shark parts.

• Type of product (shark fins and swim bladders) and weight
• Route
• Lack of permits
• Export was illegal

​

​

​

Who was behind it?

• Name of the company that was going to send the shipment that was seized
• Name of the legal representative of the company
• Prosecutor’s Office document identifying Fernando Rodríguez Mondragón as the son of Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel

Key data:

We sent more than

​

45 FOIA requests

​

• National Aquaculture and Fisheries Authority (AUNAP)
• Attorney General's Office
• DIAN (National Tax and Customs Directorate)
• Police
• Navy
• DIMAR (General Maritime Directorate)
• Ministry of Environment
• Regional Autonomous Corporation for Sustainable Development of Chocó (Codechocó)
• Bogotá Mayor's Office Environment Secretariat
• National Registry

​

• Licenses/permits obtained by the company + people
• Administrative sanctions against the company + people
• Court records
• Seizures

​

We requested �information about:

• On the ground reporting in Colombia, Venezuela and Hong Kong
• Review property and company records
• Import and export data by product and company
• Interviews with more than 20 people including officials, witnesses, fishermen, scientists and experts
• Open source research, social media

​

Credit: Richard Romero / Mongabay Latam

Social media

Both corruption and money laundering are often difficult to prove, but there are red flags.

Corruption or Negligence?

The company did not have permission to export any products, only to commercialize them domestically.

​

The commercialization permit it had at one point was issued for one year, and at the time of the seizure it had already expired.

​

​

Avoiding scrutiny

​

Bladders of animals, other than fish, whole or in pieces, fresh, chilled, frozen, salted or in brine, dried or smoked

HS Code

Red flags

​

​

Kg

$

Money laundering

​

Following the seizure at Bogotá’s airport, the Prosecutor’s Office opened a money laundering case that is still under investigation

​

​

We were unable to prove that the bladders came from Venezuela, but we were able to confirm the existence of trafficking in fish maw from the north of Lake Maracaibo to Maicao.

​

Fishermen must pay criminal groups so they can fish and must also pay extortion fees to state security agents in Venezuela.

​

​

Main Findings

Credit: Richard Romero / Mongabay Latam

The shipment arrived in Roldanillo, where the fins were loaded

Main Findings

• The swim bladders were also being trafficked because the exporter lacked the permits required for their sale or export

​

• Shipments were classified under a tariff code that did not correspond to the exported product
• New method of shark fin trafficking

​

• Shark fins had been dried and processed using techniques rarely found outside Asia.

​

• This method not only adds value to the fins when done correctly, but also aims to camouflage a product prohibited for export in Colombia by mixing the shipment with dried swim bladders.

​

• For an official who is not trained to identify shark fins, the product could easily be mistaken for swimming bladders.

​

• DNA tests are required to accurately identify the species of shark.

​

• This new technique for trafficking fins could make the fight against wildlife trafficking more complex.

• October 2023: Captured
• Responsible for the commercialization and export of 3,493 shark fins
• He was placed under house arrest
• After the story was published, he reached an agreement with the prosecutors

​

• He was released on the same day he was sentenced to four years in prison, due to his cooperation, and was fined 311 USD.

​

• Environmental crimes are highly profitable and often go unpunished with strong sentences.

Recommendations

• Collaborate - local knowledge, different skills.

​

• Be creative - if one method doesn’t work, try another one.

​

• Identify all the countries connected to your story and look for information in each of them.

​

• Read every detail in the documents, including footnotes.

​

• Read other journalistic investigations on topics that interest you and identify the sources they consulted.

Thank you!

​

danielacastror8@gmail.com

Bonus

Working with leaked data

​

Verification and corroboration

• Confirm the leak’s authenticity by cross-checking the data with publicly available information (e.g. court case number)

​

• Corroborate the data with other independent sources to ensure accuracy (FOIA requests, open and public sources and databases, interviews, among others)

​

• Confirm whether the data is legally permissible to use. Consult legal counsel if you're unsure about the legal implications of handling the data.
• In Colombia, citizens have the right to access information of public interest, and media outlets have the right to publish this information, regardless of the source. One of the country’s highest tribunals, the Constitutional Court, has ruled that no sources are inherently off limits for journalists.

​

• The leaks contain partial, non-definitive and non-exhaustive information.

​

Use the leak as a starting point

• Name of the company that was going to send the shipment that was seized
• Name of the legal representative of the company
• Document from the prosecution that identified Fernando Rodríguez Mondragón as the son of Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, former head of Colombia’s Cali Cartel.

Security and best practices

• Determine whether the leaked data serves the public interest.

​

• Do not expose sensitive information or information about third parties who are not the subject of the investigation.

​

• Avoid naming third parties who were not subjects of the investigation.

​

• Do not have printed documents or files from the leak in your possession.

• Use secure methods to store and share the leaked data to prevent unauthorized access.

​

• Provide context to help readers understand the significance and implications of the data.

​

• Be transparent about how the data was obtained and verified.

​

• When discussing or sharing the data with colleagues, use secure communication channels.