Vast horse meat trafficking in Europe dismantled as part of investigation in Spain, reveals Europol on Sunday, citing ramifications in eight European countries, including Belgium where the mastermind of the network was arrested.
As part of this investigation, “Sixty-five people were arrested and prosecuted for crimes such as animal abuse, the production of fakes, of harm to public health, the money laundering and l’membership in a criminal association“, specifies a Europol press release.
The investigation began in Spain 2016, following the detection by the Civil Guard of suspicious activities linked to the horse meat market.
In April 2017, the police had launched operations against a network trafficking horse meat unfit for human consumption.
According to the daily El Pais, the operation targeted in particular a Dutch meat broker, Jan Fase, prosecuted by French justice in the horsemeat lasagna scandal which had already affected several European countries in 2013. We also remember that horse meat was found in Panzani ravioli and in Ikea meatballs.
Sunday, Europol mentioned “a Dutch businessman”, arrested in the seaside resort of Calpe in Alicante. The agency also says he was himself linked to the operation’s mastermind, also Dutch, installed in Belgium.
Firstly, 25 people had been arrested in Spain and according to Europol, the investigation went well beyond the Spanish borders.
Finally, operations had also been carried out in a coordinated manner in Belgium, in France, in Portugal, and Italy, In Romania, in Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Bank accounts have been frozen, and seized real estate, as well as five luxury cars.
The first case, which had started in the UK early 2013, highlighted the complexity and opacity of supply and transformation circuits.
Several major brands of frozen food had been affected, in a context of massive deception involving 750 tons of meat in 13 European countries, either 4,5 million ready meals, revealed at the time the French anti-fraud authority (DGCCRF).
Source : AFP
Bunch of dirty idiots Dare to take what we love the most in the world to find them hanged by the hind limbs and completely strip their skin . You have to do the same to these food criminals . No justice that we torture them as they did with our horses . Because of them people and children cry 1 or horses lost forever . These people are to be removed from the earth . A la guillotine . I hope justice will be done as he deserves… Read more "