An ongoing criminal case and permission to export wildlife products can coexist. In Peru, Mongabay Latam examined what that meant for shark conservation after authorities seized more than 9 metric tons of fins in Callao, a major Peruvian port, in November 2025.
In July 2026, journalist Cristina Fernández Aguilar reported that a Peruvian shark fin exporter whose warehouse was searched during the seizure continued receiving export permits while its legal representative was under investigation for alleged wildlife trafficking and organized crime.
The report analyzed 48 resolutions issued by Peru’s Ministry of Production between January 2025 and June 2026. After the seizure, the ministry approved six export permits covering 9,087 kilograms (about 20,033 pounds) of dried shark fins, primarily from pelagic thresher sharks (Alopias pelagicus), classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. These were authorizations to export, not proof that every approved shipment had left the country. The records showed that a major seizure and an ongoing criminal case had not stopped the company from obtaining permission to export fins from a threatened species.
The article examined the safeguards meant to govern that trade. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement to ensure that trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Its Appendix II allows trade under strict controls. For these shark fins, export approval requires proof of legal origin and traceability, along with a scientific assessment that the trade will not harm the species’ survival in the wild.
Mongabay found that the ministry had identified documentation problems in several applications, rejecting portions of requested exports while approving quantities it considered adequately documented. An environmental lawyer said an investigation alone did not automatically prevent a company from operating, but questioned the level of scrutiny applied to its applications.
The criminal investigation continued after a judge declined pretrial detention, finding insufficient evidence of an organized criminal group. Neither the company representative nor the ministry answered Mongabay’s broader requests for comment before publication. But the reporting brought the continuing export approvals to prosecutors’ attention.
Impact
After the investigation was published, the Third Specialized Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime told Mongabay Latam it had been unaware that the company was still receiving CITES permits.
In addition, prosecutors from that office said that the Ministry of Production had never informed them of the new permits. They added that the discovery strengthens the case, and that the irregularities could result in more serious charges against the suspect. The office added that it was considering asking the judge for a preliminary injunction to temporarily suspend the company’s exports.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office later made a formal written request to Mongabay Latam for the documentation behind the reporting. Mongabay Latam provided the office with 48 public records from the Ministry of Production, as well as a database categorising the status of each permit and the irregularities flagged by the Ministry of Production itself. The office will incorporate this information in its investigation.
The case illustrates the value of examining administrative records alongside enforcement actions and making them known to the public record so institutions can use that information in their decision-making. By tracing permits issued after a major seizure, Mongabay brought the continuing authorization of shark fin exports into public view and produced documentation prosecutors said they wanted to obtain.
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Banner image: The seizure of more than 9 metric tons of shark fins in November 2025. Photo: Embajada de Estados Unidos en Lima.