Nine individuals across Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto are under investigation, with 327 illegally sourced decoy birds seized during “Operation Toward North.” The joint crackdown—conducted by Trieste’s Carabinieri Forestali CITES unit and Friuli Venezia Giulia’s Regional Forestry Corps—was announced today following a probe coordinated by Elisa Calligaris, deputy prosecutor at Udine’s court.
The operation’s name references the annual northward migratory route of bird species, frequently disrupted by the illicit activities under scrutiny. Suspects from Udine, Vicenza, and Rovigo provinces face charges including attempted aggravated theft against the state, public seal forgery, reckless purchasing, possession of protected species, and illegal wildlife trade.
Investigators, building on prior work by Ancona’s Forestry Carabinieri under Urbino’s prosecutor, spent over a year unraveling an alleged trafficking network. Wild migratory birds were illegally captured, then “regularized” using falsified or forcibly applied identification rings that injured the animals. Sold as live decoys to unsuspecting buyers, each bird could fetch up to €400 on the black market.
Raids uncovered traps, nets, acoustic lures, and tools for tampering with rings. Authorities allege an Udine-based breeder orchestrated the capture and “legalization” scheme with an accomplice, utilizing prepared sites and support structures across multiple locations.