Demand for pangolins in Asia, where populations of these scaly mammals have dwindled, has driven traffickers to Africa, the only other continent where the increasingly endangered animals can be found.

Nigeria has become a hub for pangolin trafficking and other illegal trading of wildlife. But authorities have been cracking down, recently arresting a Chinese national suspected of being a high-level pangolin trafficker and targeting a supply network in a market in Lagos this month. The latter investigation led to five more arrests and the seizure of 8,300 pounds of pangolin scales — prized in Asia for their perceived medicinal value — from an estimated 1,900 slain animals.

Michael Awe, the regional customs chief, said the investigation sends “a strong signal” that the Nigeria Customs Service “will not relent in its efforts in fighting wildlife crime to a standstill.”

The arrests are part of a enforcement push that shows Nigeria’s increasing focus on combating animal trafficking is paying off, experts say.

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Nigeria’s Customs Service made the arrests with intelligence from the Wildlife Justice Commission, a Netherlands-based organization that supplies global law enforcement with evidence on criminal wildlife trafficking rings. The Chinese national detained in Lagos in February was connected to nearly 16,000 pounds of pangolin scales seized in August after a six-month investigation.

“The operation shows the value of long-term intelligence gathering and international cooperation — and it reflects a calculated effort to go beyond low-level busts,” said Dr. Meganne Natali, a lawyer and legal consultant specializing in wildlife crime.

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