# Crimini ambientali e criminalità organizzata | Andrea Crosta | TEDxLakeComo Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHteMsagvv4 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/BHteMsagvv4 Generated: 2025-12-04T16:41:19.594+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Andrea Crosta, environmental investigator and founder of Earth League International, details his decade-long work uncovering the vast, interconnected criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, drug trade, and money laundering, emphasizing that the real culprits are often corrupt politicians and financiers, not just the street-level poachers, and stresses that hope lies in sustained, courageous action supported by international collaboration. **Key Points:** - Crosta's investigative work in June 2021 in Mexico exposed a major trafficker involved in illegal trade of ivory, exotic animals (like orangutans, seahorses, pangolins, tigers), illegal lumber, drugs, and gold. - The trafficking networks are highly organized, extending across 30 countries, and involve complex operations like money laundering through cash transactions and cryptocurrency. - Crosta highlights that the true perpetrators are often corrupt politicians and financiers, not just the poachers, citing the example of a former Mexican official he met who was a key figure in organized crime. - His organization, Earth League International (founded 13 years prior in the US), focuses on investigating these major environmental crimes, often working undercover with law enforcement globally. - Crosta mentions his involvement in producing the Netflix documentary 'The Ivory Game,' focusing on the illegal ivory trade, and a second documentary, 'Sea of Shadows,' concerning environmental issues. - He recounts a harrowing experience in Kenya in 2010 amidst an elephant poaching crisis, which solidified his commitment to fighting organized environmental crime. - The most important element for change is hope, which must be accompanied by courageous, sustained action, often involving cooperation with international law enforcement. ![Screenshot at 00:24: Andrea Crosta begins his talk by displaying an aerial view of Mexico City, noting his presence there in June 2021 to meet with investigators targeting major traffickers, setting the scene for the global scope of his investigative work.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/BHteMsagvv4/00-00-24.png) **Context:** Andrea Crosta is an environmental investigator and the founder/director of Earth League International, an organization dedicated to combating environmental crime globally, often operating undercover. The presentation, delivered at TEDxLakeComo, recounts his career experiences since leaving the FBI and CIA, focusing on the scale and complexity of transnational crimes like wildlife trafficking and illegal resource exploitation, and the need for sustained action to combat these issues. ## Detailed Analysis Andrea Crosta, an environmental investigator and founder of Earth League International, details the vast and complex criminal operations he has investigated over the last decade, starting with an encounter in Mexico City in June 2021 where he met with a major trafficker involved in illegal trade spanning ivory, exotic animals (orangutans, seahorses, pangolins, tigers), illegal logging, drug trade, and gold. Crosta emphasizes that the true power behind these crimes often lies with corrupt politicians and financiers, noting that the people he met in Mexico were connected to organized crime networks. He contrasts the street-level poachers with the high-level individuals financing these operations, which are present in around 30 countries. Crosta shares a personal anecdote from Kenya in 2010 during an elephant poaching crisis where 50-60 elephants were killed annually, which reinforced his mission. He discusses the importance of his NGO's work, which uses intelligence to assist law enforcement globally and inform the public, referencing his involvement in the documentaries 'The Ivory Game' and 'Sea of Shadows.' He concludes by stating that while his work is dangerous and he can no longer safely travel to certain countries, the most crucial element for driving change is hope, which must be backed by continuous, courageous action and international cooperation to dismantle these organized criminal structures. ### Investigative Work Context - Crosta recounts meeting a major trafficker in Mexico City in June 2021 involved in illegal trade of ivory, exotic animals, lumber, drugs, and gold - These operations span 30 countries and involve money laundering. ### Key Criminal Activities Uncovered - Trafficking involves ivory, exotic animals (orangutans, seahorses, pangolins, tigers), illegal logging, drug trade (cocaine, pills), and illegal gold trade - These activities are often supported by powerful, corrupt figures. ### Personal Motivation and Experience - Crosta's commitment was reinforced after witnessing the slaughter of 50-60 elephants annually in Kenya around 2010 - He previously worked for the FBI, CIA, and as a consultant for former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. ### The True Culprits - The biggest problem is not the poachers themselves, but the corrupt politicians, financiers, and organized criminal networks that enable the trade. ### Documentary Involvement - Crosta worked with major media outlets like The Washington Post and was involved in producing the Netflix documentary 'The Ivory Game' and the National Geographic documentary 'Sea of Shadows'. ### The Role of Hope and Action - Courageous, sustained action, supported by organizations like Earth League International, is essential to combat these crimes - Hope is vital, but it must be paired with action. ![Screenshot at 00:13: Introduction slide showing Andrea Crosta, Environmental Investigator, with the TEDxLakeComo branding.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/BHteMsagvv4/00-00-13.png) ![Screenshot at 00:29: Slide illustrating the scope of environmental crime discussed: illegal logging \(piles of logs\), trafficking of exotic animals \(orangutans, seahorses, ivory tusks\), and the flow of money/drugs/gold.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/BHteMsagvv4/00-00-29.png) ![Screenshot at 01:47: Close-up image showing someone handling illicit materials, possibly related to drug preparation or wildlife trade, as part of the evidence presented.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/BHteMsagvv4/00-01-47.png) ![Screenshot at 07:25: Image showing military/rangers standing next to a truck loaded with large elephant tusks, illustrating the massive scale of the ivory trade.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/BHteMsagvv4/00-07-25.png) ![Screenshot at 11:46: Slide showing a newspaper clipping from The Washington Post detailing an investigation into illegal jaguar parts trade, alongside a photo of Crosta with Jane Goodall, highlighting both the investigative outcomes and key supporters.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/BHteMsagvv4/00-11-46.png)