Categories: NewsYear 2017July

A large horse meat trafficking network dismantled

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, “soixante-cinq personnes ont été arrêtées et poursuivies pour des délits tels que la animal abuse, the production of fakes, of harm to public health, the money laundering and themembership 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 “un homme d’affaires néerlandais”, 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

F. Boyat

View Comments

  • Bande de sales cons
    Osez nous prendres ce que l on aimes le plus au monde pour les retrouvés pendu par les membres du postérieur et complétement dépeucer de leur peau .
    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 .
    Surtout pas de prison .
    Les donnés aux gens pour les luncher c est tout ce qu il mérite .

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