Environmental crime is often regarded as a series of disparate issues, from wildlife trafficking and illegal logging to waste dumping and illegal fishing. But according to EIA’s latest major report, Crimes that Affect the Environment – STILL a Critical Threat to Our Future, these crimes are increasingly connected, driven by organised criminal networks and fuelling […]
EIA has welcomed the guilty pleas entered by UK luxury yacht manufacturer Sunseeker International Ltd and its US subsidiary Sunseeker USA Sales for violations of the US Lacey Act linked to the use of illegally sourced teak from Myanmar. The case marks one of the most significant US enforcement actions involving Myanmar teak since the […]
US federal prosecutors have charged UK-based luxury yacht firm Sunseeker International Ltd and its US subsidiary Sunseeker USA Sales with environmental crimes tied to the use of illegally harvested teak from Myanmar. EIA first exposed Sunseeker’s illegitimate use of Burmese teak in 2018 after our investigations found that teak which had been traded in breach […]
In another major win for Myanmar’s forests, a penalty order of €150,000 has been issued against a Dutch firm for using illicit Myanmar teak on Jeff Bezos’ superyacht Koru. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie OM) has confirmed it reached a settlement agreement with a “Dutch yacht builder” — named as Oceanco by Dutch newspaper […]
In a landmark case in the UK courts, a luxury yacht firm has been handed stiff penalties for using ‘blood’ teak imported from Myanmar on some of the vessels it builds. Sunseeker International Ltd – self-styled as “the world’s leading brand for luxury motor yachts” – is based in Poole, Dorset. Sitting at Bournemouth Crown […]
A new ruling by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) may partially undo earlier criminal convictions for importing teak from Myanmar in defiance of a previous EU sanctions regime. In April 2021, Hamburg Regional Court’s convicted WOB Timber and Stefan Bührich for imports of Myanmar teak contrary to the previous EU sanctions regime implemented against […]