7 June 2019, story by John Grobler, a Namibian journalist and Alex Hafford, a photographer and expert in international trade in wildlife.

WINDHOEK – The single greatest obstacle that law enforcement officials have in combatting wildlife crime and related smuggling is the lack of a money trail that can be used as evidence in court to secure convictions against the key organisers of such transactions.

This project exposes the key, enabling financial mechanism deployed by the local poaching and Chinese smuggling syndicates known as “Chinese Flying Money” or “Fei Qian”, an ancient trade-based settlement system that operates outside of the overview of the international regulatory oversight of the formal banking system. Below is a chart to help you understand the story better:

 

The full article is on Oxpeckers and posted on journalismfund.eu , Vrye Weekblad and CapeTalk.