An Garda Síochána has taken part in a major European operation targeting a horse trafficking network.

Gardaí, supported by Europol, played a central role in an international enforcement operation targeting a criminal network suspected of trafficking horses across Europe using falsified documents and manipulated microchips to conceal the animals’ true identities.

The operation took place in Ireland between Tuesday, September 8 and Wednesday, September 9.

In the course of the operation, searches were carried out in counties Dublin, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, and Tipperary by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) provided assistance with the searches along with officers from the Belgian Police and Europol.

Horse passports

The investigation, led by Belgian authorities, centres on the alleged large-scale trade of horses whose identification details and histories were fraudulently altered, enabling their movement and resale throughout Europe.

The criminal network is suspected of forging horse passports and manipulating microchips to grant the animals new identities, obscuring their true background and eligibility for human consumption.

An Garda Síochána worked closely with police forces and administrative authorities in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, with Europol providing support in information exchange, operational coordination and analytical expertise.

An Garda Síochána said that it remains committed to disrupting serious and organised crime and safeguarding public health and animal welfare across Ireland.

Europe

Including the Irish search, the coordinated operation, led by Belgium, saw authorities carry out 24 searches across Europe:

Four in Belgium (East Flanders and Brabant)
Six in Ireland;
Seven in France (Gard, Saône-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Gironde, Haute-Saône);
Seven in the Netherlands (Limburg, South Holland, North Brabant, Utrecht, Zeeland).

More than 1,000 horses were checked.

Given the suspected link to the food chain, Europol also brought in expertise developed through Operation OPSON, which focuses on the trafficking of counterfeit and substandard food and beverages.

Evidence seized during the searches is now being analysed and the investigation is ongoing.