Vietnam and Cameroon join urgently! U.S.-led crackdown on illegal timber

Adam Gustafson, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, pointed out during a multilateral workshop hosted by the DOJ in Libreville from May 18 to 22—the first event bringing together the entire wood trade supply chain—that illegal timber trade under the Lacey Act is harming the interests of domestic U.S. producers. 

Gustafson emphasized the core commercial interests at stake in the talks, highlighting the United States' significant strategic interest in eliminating illegal timber from global supply chains and keeping it out of the U.S. market.  

"Smuggling of illegal timber is depressing prices for domestic producers," he said, adding that deeper cooperation with trading partners would enhance collective efforts to intercept illegal timber while supporting legitimate timber trade. 

The seminar brought together over a hundred officials in Libreville, Gabon's capital, including representatives from the industry, major timber-producing countries, key processing and transit hubs, and leading consumer markets. It marked the first multilateral meeting to cover the entire wood supply chain—from forest harvesting to customs clearance. Participating countries included Cameroon, Vietnam, the United States, and Gabon, while the European Union, the United Kingdom, and several non-governmental organizations and international institutions also sent delegates.

The conference coincided with the Ministry of Justice intensifying its criminal enforcement efforts, having recently appointed dedicated intelligence analysts to investigate a timber trafficking network estimated to be worth around $500 million. Discussions at the event focused on legal timber traceability systems, customs oversight procedures, and joint investigation techniques, as well as addressing industry concerns and exploring opportunities for legitimate trade development. 

The seminar received joint support from more than six U.S. federal agencies, including the Department of Justice's Special Working Group on Trade Fraud, the Customs and Border Protection Agency, and the Homeland Security Investigations, with co-organization by the State Department, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, and embassies in Libreville, Hanoi, and Yaoundé. Participants also conducted on-site visits to locations related to the timber supply chain, including Gabon's economic zones. 

According to the anti-corruption research organization Global Financial Integrity, illegal logging has become the third-largest form of transnational organized crime, after counterfeit goods and drug trafficking, causing billions of dollars in annual losses to legitimate producers and landowners.  

This meeting further strengthened the existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms between the United States, Gabon, Cameroon, and Vietnam on combating timber trafficking.  

Given that both Gabon and Cameroon maintain active timber trade relations with the United States and Vietnam, Vietnam is currently in discussions with these countries to sign a memorandum of understanding aimed at institutionalizing trade data sharing and joint investigation arrangements. 

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