Police arrest 27 traffickers, seize 254kg of eels in crime crackdown
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Eels are very popular in some Asian countries and can be traded at more than €5,000 per kg.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – Police have arrested 27 eel traffickers and seized 254kg of contraband eels in an international investigation dubbed Operation Lake that started almost two years ago, the French authorities said in a statement on Friday.
Police discovered that four tonnes of eels had been fraudulently exported between 2021 and 2023 for a profit estimated at nearly €1.19 million (S$1.73 million), the statement said.
The European eel is classified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, so its fishing is regulated and subject to strict quotas.
Eels are very popular in some Asian countries, and the small fish about 10cm long can be traded at more than €5,000 per kg, the statement said.
The investigation, which involved cooperation between France, Spain, Europol, Eurojust and the European Anti-Fraud Office, uncovered illegal export channels to Asia used by an organised crime network active in various European countries.
Police made the arrests across France, Spain, Poland and Belgium and confiscated €200,000 in cash. REUTERS
