A criminal network (41 arrests) have been closed down by this joint operation, which involved the illegal sale of horsemeat, and linked to a number of crimes including food fraud, money laundering and document fraud concerning the untraceable sale of horsemeat on the Spanish, Belgian, German and Italian markets. The criminal network acquired horses across Spain either free or for Euros 100 because they were not fit for human consumption. They were slaughtered in an illegal abattoir, transported and given false veterinary documentation, and butchered before selling them, and generating illegal profits of about Euros 1.5 million.
. Read the Europol press release
