Imagine you joined the crew of a cargo ship, sailing down the Amazon River from Peru into the Atlantic Ocean. After officials in several countries deny your ship entry suspecting your cargo is illegal, you dock in a Mexican port.

At the end of February, after years of turning a blind eye to evidence that Peru has been exporting illegally taken timber to the U.S. in clear violation of its commitments under the U.S.-Peru trade pact, the U.S. is opening its eyes -- just slightly -- to the trade violations.

At first glance it might appear that the Cambodian government is taking a principled stand on forest protection. But observers familiar with the situation insist that the campaign's real motives can be traced to simmering rivalries and jostling among the most influential players in Cambodia's logging sector.

Today's sentence marks the end of a multi-year investigation in which the Department of Justice found that Lumber Liquidators imported products made of wood harvested illegally in Russia, including timber cut from Siberian tiger habitat.

Last week hardwood flooring giant Lumber Liquidators pleaded guilty before a federal judge in Norfolk, Virginia for importing illegally sourced wood into the U.S. It is also a strong message that the United States intends to crack down on the illegal timber trade using the Lacey Act.

The lack of enforcement of the U.S.-Peru free trade agreement has allowed the illegal timber trade to flourish and has put our environment, climate, businesses and consumer rights at risk. And now the United States is negotiating a new free trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), that includes the U.S., Peru, and ten other countries.