Recent arrests have been made in Spain which is believed to be related to the 2013 Irish horsemeat scandal.
The 65 arrests 'for a number of crimes' that were reportedly made in Spain followed an operation that was carried out alongside authorities in Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, Europe reported.
Europol, together with Spain’s Guardia Civil, has dismantled what it describes as an ‘organised crime group that was trading horsemeat in Europe that was unfit for human consumption.'
When the horsemeat scandal first broke almost four years, in which Irish health authorities discovered the presence of meat not suitable for human consumption in beef burgers, a Europe-wide investigation was kickstarted as well as a search for a Dutch citizen thought to be involved in the tainted meat operation.
‘During the investigation, Guardia Civil was able to locate the Dutch businessman related to the Irish case of the beefburgers containing horse meat, in Calpe, Alicante,’ Europol said.
Last year, Spain’s Guardia Civil initiated ‘Operation Gazel’ in Spain after unusual behaviour was detected in horsemeat markets.
According to Europe, the authorities ‘detected a scam whereby horses in bad shape, too old or simply labelled as "not suitable for consumption" were being slaughtered in two different slaughterhouses.’
The meat from these horses was then exported to Belgium, one of the biggest horsemeat exporters in the EU.
© 2017 - Checkout Magazine by Donna Ahern
