The recovery of two elephant tusks by a team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) near Sonapur Toll Gate and the apprehension of four suspected rhino poachers by a joint team of the Assam Police and the Assam Forest Department in the Hatishal area of Teok in Jorhat in two separate operations reflect the alertness and relentless vigilance of enforcement agencies in combating wildlife crime and illegal wildlife trade. The enforcement agencies deserve commendation for acting swiftly against those involved in wildlife crime. At the same time, the incidents serve as a reminder that organised wildlife crime syndicates remain active and continue to pose a serious threat to the state’s wildlife, leaving no room for complacency in the fight against wildlife crime. The official release states that DRI officers spotted five suspects on two 2-wheelers, one carrying a bag suspected to contain elephant tusks. When challenged by the DRI team, the suspects allegedly brandished a Khukri and a machete at the pursuing officers and subsequently abandoned the bag containing the two tusks and fled into a nearby village. While the DRI pursues the fleeing suspects, thorough investigations by the Assam Police and the Forest Department into both incidents are crucial to unravel and dismantle the wider network. Transboundary nature of wildlife crime demands sustained intelligence sharing and coordinated action among the Assma Police, the Forest Department and their counterparts in other states and central enforcement agencies to strengthen synergised combat against wildlife crime. Assam’s national parks and other protected areas support a robust population of rich diversity of wildlife, including the iconic species, making them persistent targets of organised wildlife crime and international trafficking networks. Conservation of the rich wildlife and biodiversity of Assam and other Northeastern states has strategic economic and ecological importance. The region’s rich wildlife heritage and spectacular natural landscapes offer enormous yet largely untapped ecotourism potential that can drive sustainable development through the promotion of ecotourism generating livelihoods and economic growth. Dismantling the organised wildlife crime network, therefore, is critical to fully unlocking the untapped economic potential. Increasing footfall of wildlife lovers in Kaziranga National Park speaks volumes about the positive message of Assam’s success in bringing down the incidents of rhino poaching to zero from alarming figures of 27 rhinos lost to poaching in 2013, when rhino poaching peaked during the Congress rule in the state, and is attributed as a major driving factor behind the surge in tourists visiting the iconic site. The spectacular success in the anti-poaching drive is attributed to the launching of operation codenamed “Operation Falcon” in 2024. While surveillance against the trafficking of rhino horn, elephant tusk, tiger skin, deer hides, and pangolin scales must continue unabated, it is important the enforcement agencies also intensify efforts to detect and curb illegal trade in wildlife parts of lesser-known species found in the state. In addition to strengthening the protection of the state’s wildlife population, there is a need to intensify surveillance against organised wildlife crime networks that use the state as a transit route for trafficking live wildlife species smuggled through the India-Myanmar border to illegal markets in other parts of the country. When enforcement agencies conduct intelligence-based operations against illegal wildlife trafficking, criminals often release smuggled species into forest areas, which endangers the local wildlife population, disrupts ecological balance through the introduction of invasive species, causes genetic contamination, and increases the risks of disease transmission. Securing the country’s eastern borders against wildlife smuggling and the illegal trade in animal parts remains critical for sustaining the relentless efforts of enforcement agencies in the state. Ensuring exemplary punishment for those involved in wildlife crime is crucial to creating a strong deterrent against local individuals who provide support to these organised wildlife crime networks. Rigorous evidence collection, meticulous documentation and preparation of a strong charge sheet are essential in securing convictions of the accused and deterring wildlife crimes. Application of DNA technology for scientific evidence collection has emerged as an important tool in wildlife crime investigation, enabling enforcement agencies to build strong cases linking seized wildlife parts to poaching incidents and securing higher conviction rates. Increasing budgetary support for scientific research in DNA application and the development of other scientific tools will significantly enhance the submission of stronger evidence, thereby reinforcing convictions in court and serving as a powerful deterrent against wildlife crime in the state. Building the capacity of investigating officers and security personnel engaged in anti-poaching and in the fight against wildlife crime to collect, preserve and scientifically document is essential to improve the quality of evidence collection for timely prosecution in wildlife crime cases. Organised crime networks keep updating their modus operandi to evade detection and apprehension, which calls for the enforcement agencies to continuously upgrading their intelligence gathering, investigative capabilities and technological interventions. The detection and interception of wildlife crimes are important achievements, but the recurrence of such crimes requires dismantling the organised network that finances and facilitates these crimes.