3095/2025/WEB 'Illegal trade of shahtoosh (Tibetan antelope wool)'

The aim of this webinar is to strengthen the understanding of the illegal shahtoosh trade and to share contemporary customs and other enforcement practices within the framework of CITES through case studies and demonstrated tactics. 

Shahtoosh, the fine underwool of the endangered Tibetan antelope (chiru), has long been prized for its exceptional softness and warmth, making it a highly coveted luxury textile. The demand for Shahtoosh has fuelled a lucrative black market that directly threatens the survival of this protected species. Despite strict international bans under CITES and national legislation, the illegal trade in Tibetan antelope wool continues to flourish, driven by organised trafficking networks that exploit porous borders, weak enforcement, and high consumer demand. 

The illicit trade takes many forms, including cross-border smuggling of raw wool and finished shawls, false declarations in customs paperwork, concealment of goods within legitimate shipments, and the use of clandestine supply chains spanning from poaching grounds on the Tibetan Plateau to weaving centers and global luxury markets. Traffickers often rely on front companies, corrupt intermediaries, and online platforms to market and distribute shahtoosh products, making detection and prosecution especially difficult. 

This webinar brings together customs officials, wildlife crime investigators and environmental inspectors to showcase current customs control and investigative practices and challenges in tackling shahtoosh trafficking. Participants will engage in a detailed discussion on the most pressing issues faced in controlling the illegal trade, with particular focus on cross-border smuggling routes, intelligence sources, and case examples illustrating successful seizures and prosecutions. Case studies will highlight both successful tactics and the persistent gaps that allow this illegal trade to persist, including difficulties in detecting concealed goods, limited awareness among enforcement officers, and the challenges of dismantling sophisticated supply chains. By presenting operational insights and practical tools, this session aims to strengthen global cooperation and provide participants with actionable tactics to combat the illegal shahtoosh trade and protect the Tibetan antelope from extinction. 

By the end of this webinar, the audience will be able to:

• Recognise the structure and functioning of shahtoosh trafficking networks, from poaching to luxury markets;
• Identify common smuggling methods, concealment techniques, and fraudulent trade practices;
• Explore customs control practices and follow-up investigative approaches for detecting and disrupting wildlife trafficking;
• Analyse real case examples to understand successful seizures, analysis of products prosecutions, and enforcement challenges
• Debate the obstacles and opportunities for international cooperation in combating illegal shahtoosh trade.

EMPACT training activity

Combatting new forms of organised crime requires more cooperation between police and gendarmes, customs officers, border guards, judges, and prosecutors. EU institutions, agencies and Member States work together to tackle organised and serious international crime through a permanent and key instrument: the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT).

CEPOL plays a crucial role in the EMPACT mechanism through the provision of specialised training and the identification of training needs within each common security threat. Every year, CEPOL provides a comprehensive training package for each common EU crime priority consisting of onsite, online and exchange training activities.

Check more of CEPOL's EMPACT training activities here.