USEPA’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) investigates the most significant and egregious violations of environmental laws. Generally, these violations are committed by persons acting with a sufficient degree of knowledge or intent so that imprisonment may be appropriate. Often, these violations pose a significant threat to human health and the environment. This agency also strives to provide state-of-the-art training to its employees 
and partners in international, federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement, regulatory, and intelligence agencies. The CID investigates allegations of criminal wrongdoing prohibited by various environmental laws. These violations include, for example, the illegal transportation, treatment, or disposal of hazardous waste, the export of hazardous waste without the permission of the receiving country, the illegal discharge of pollutants to a water body of the United States, the removal and disposal of regulated asbestos containing materials in an illegal manner, the illegal importation of certain restricted or regulated chemicals into the United States, tampering with a drinking water supply, illegal handling or application of pesticides, mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering relating to environmental criminal activities.
[In the United States, other agencies are also responsible for investigating and enforcing environmental laws relating to natural resources, e.g., fisheries, wildlife, forests, and other related matters, including legislation implementing MEAs. For example, US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) inspectors and agents enforce domestic legislation that implements CITES; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration enforces legislation implementing fisheries agreements; and the U.S. Coast Guard enforces legislation implementing MARPOL. All these agencies refer State matters for enforcement to the U.S. Department of Justice.]
For more information on the CID, see http://www.epa.gov/compliance/
about/offices/division/cid.html; see also the case study on “Specialised Environmental Administrative Tribunals and Prosecutors in the United States” accompanying Guideline 41(a)
- 41(v).