And we name three mainstream Lao companies with powerful political connections as leading brokers in the global trafficking of wildlife. Animal trafficking: the $23bn criminal industry policed by a toothless regulator Read moreThe investigation has been led by a counter-trafficking organisation, Freeland, which is based in Bangkok and has previously exposed key players in this trafficking network. The Asian connectionThe secret life of Nakhon Phanom revolves around one crime family, the Bachs. But just as the Bachs, until now, have escaped public attention, so too have the other Lao companies. Paperwork seen by the Guardian shows that at least six members of their extended family travelled from Vietnam to South Africa to take part.

Source: The Guardian September 26, 2016 12:14 UTC