Fake horse passports used in Europe-wide trafficking ring, two arrested
Europol dismantled a horse trafficking scheme spanning Europe, using forged passports and tampered microchips. At least two arrested; over 1,000 animals examined.
Europol busts horse trafficking ring using forged passports and microchip tampering
Forged documents and tampered microchips formed the backbone of a horse trafficking operation spanning multiple European countries, with hundreds of animals routed through fraudulent transactions, officials confirmed. Traffickers exploited false identities to send sport horses to slaughterhouses and pass off older animals as high-value stock, qz.com reports.
The operation unfolded over 48 hours and involved more than two dozen search operations. Authorities examined upward of 1,000 animals potentially caught up in the fraud, according to The New York Times.
"Investigators suspect that forged horse passports and manipulated microchips were used to effectively give animals new identities," Europol said in a statement.
Belgian Federal Police confirmed that raids resulted in the confiscation of a substantial number of horses, along with €100,000 (approximately $116,000) in cash. Belgian authorities confirmed at least two arrests, though no details were released about the individuals taken into custody.
It remained unclear whether arrests also took place in France, Ireland, or the Netherlands, as police in those countries declined to provide information on any detentions.
The investigation remains open, with authorities pursuing leads that could implicate additional participants in the trafficking network.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)