Over half a tonne of horsemeat has been seized during raids in Spain with 41 people arrested for selling potentially dangerous meat, according to the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).
Horsemeat “unfit for consumption” was sold on the Spanish, Belgian, German and Italian markets, after a criminal network acquired the animals from across Spain for up to €100/animal.
The affected animals were not destined for the food market and the criminals “turned dirt into diamonds”, generating illegal profits of about €1.5 million, Europol said.
Spanish officers uncovered 80 horses which had been abused and were suffering from various untreated diseases due to the lack of veterinary control.
National authorities arrested 35 individuals, including the heads of the network, while targeting six companies linked to the criminal organisation, according to Europol.
Six further arrests have been made by the Belgian Federal Police, however, according to Europol, the suspects involved in the criminal network had different functions:
“From the ones who slaughtered the animals without the necessary controls, to the individuals dealing with the transport, the veterinarians providing false documents, and the butcher facilities which sold the meat unfit for consumption.”
The network involved in this illegal sale altered the traceability of horsemeat by falsifying transfer and identification documents, and is linked to a number of crimes including food fraud, money laundering and document fraud.
Illegal horsemeat sale
A complete “cattle exploitation facility” was set up in 2019 and the criminal network started exporting the horsemeat to other European markets.
A single illegal shipment generated €35,000 for the transporters, with an estimated €4.5 million in turnover on the logistical side.
The animals endured poor conditions in the cattle facilities, a lack of food and water, as well as permanent stress situations during transport, Europol said.