In late June 2025, a specialized unit of the Peruvian National Police (PNP), supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service鈥檚 Regional Law Enforcement Attach茅 Office in Lima, Peru, dismantled a transnational wildlife trafficking organization that was responsible for numerous illegal live wildlife shipments worldwide.
The investigation, named Predators of the East, resulted in the arrest of 12 individuals who operated predominantly from the City of Iquitos within the Loreto Region, which is part of the vast Amazon Basin. The criminal network is alleged to have taken advantage of Peru鈥檚 legal wildlife trade framework, which allowed their leader, Juan Ram贸n Morillas-Rosa (a Spanish national), to launder illegally captured wildlife through his wildlife export business. The investigation also led to the additional arrests of five Loreto regional government officials who were responsible for overseeing the legal wildlife trade.
As a result of this law enforcement operation, the PNP seized several documents, electronic equipment and 257 specimens - including live reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals such as primates, capybaras, sloths, anteaters and an ocelot. The live wildlife were rescued by the PNP in partnership with Peru鈥檚 national forestry and wildlife agency, SERFOR. Over 5,000 dead invertebrates were also seized at the site.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to supporting Peru鈥檚 specialized police units, and environmental prosecutors, to combat the illegal flora and fauna trade. The support is combined with training, equipment, investigative assistance and mentoring. Knowing that no government organization alone can stop the illegal wildlife trade, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service focuses on a team approach and urges all conservation agencies to work with police and prosecutors for successful prosecutions.
