International horse fraud: three Belgian suspects arrested, over 1,000 horses checked
The federal judicial police of East Flanders conducted 24 raids across four countries, arresting three Belgian suspects linked to fraud involving horses unfit for consumption.
Horse fraud network dismantled in Belgium and three European countries
Horses declared "unfit for consumption" — including sporting horses treated with medication — allegedly received falsified new identities to be presented as slaughter animals. According to bruxellestoday.be, this is the mechanism that the federal judicial police (PJF) of East Flanders suspects was operating at an international scale.
The system was based on the falsification of equine passports, the use of duplicate microchips and frequent movement of animals between Belgium and abroad. These manipulations aimed to obscure the origin and traceability of the horses in order to have them recognised as fit for slaughter.
Fraud with financial dimensions
The economic stakes were real: a horse considered "worthless" could, once presented as a slaughter horse, reach a value between 1,000 and 1,500 euros, according to federal police. Investigators traced significant flows of horses from Ireland to the rest of Europe, with some animals ending up in slaughterhouses.
At the centre of suspicions is a horse dealer based in East Flanders, who allegedly played a pivotal role in this network, in collaboration with partners in the Netherlands, France and Ireland.
Large-scale simultaneous operation across four countries
On 8 and 9 September, more than 200 investigators were deployed to conduct 24 raids simultaneously: four in Belgium, seven in the Netherlands, seven in France and six in Ireland. On Belgian territory, operations targeted Sint-Gillis-Waas, Kruisem and Zaventem.
Investigators and food safety officers checked more than 1,000 horses, examining their identity, origin and welfare conditions. A significant number of animals were subject to administrative or judicial seizure. The raids also resulted in the recovery of registers, invoices, communications equipment and over 100,000 euros in cash.
Two suspects placed under arrest warrant
The investigation was opened following receipt of international information signalling fraudulent practices in the equine sector involving Belgian actors. The prosecutor's office of East Flanders entrusted the investigation to the PJF, in close collaboration with the Federal Agency for Food Chain Safety (Afsca). An investigating judge from Dendermonde was subsequently assigned the case.
In Belgium, three suspects were arrested for questioning. Presented on 9 September before the investigating judge, two were placed under arrest warrant; the third was released under conditions.
The investigation remains open. Investigators are still seeking to reconstruct the complete itinerary of the animals involved and to establish the final fate of the other horses implicated in the network.
Source: Google News MA — Crime (fr)