"Wildlife poaching is made possible—indeed is propelled—by an opaque global financial system. The transnational criminal smuggling business is a clandestine, multi-billion dollar industry that operates with the help of hundreds of anonymous shell companies.
Wildlife trafficking alone generates around US$7.8 to US$10 billion in revenue a year—making it the fifth largest criminal industry worldwide—and layers of phantom firms are behind such finances that send tiger skin rugs and elephant ivory across borders." [source]

Any Effective Effort to Save Rhinos, Tigers, and Pandas from Extinction Must Tackle the Anonymous Companies that Propel the Illegal Wildlife Trade
"Wildlife trafficking is more than illegally killing exotic animals; it is part of a complex criminal network that makes use of anonymous companies to illegally transfer both goods and money."