SEPRONA agent during the operation that helped dismantle the tuna illegal trade ring. (Photo: Civil Guard)
Illegal bluefin tuna trade ring dismantled
SPAIN
Tuesday, October 16, 2018, 22:00 (GMT + 9)
The Civil Guard has dismantled a ring that in Spain traded tuna that had been illegally fished in other countries and that, in addition, sometimes had health irregularities.
In the framework of Tarantelo operation, coordinated by Europol, the Civil Guard arrested 79 people and carried out 49 searches and inspections that ended with the intervention of more than 80,000 kilos of bluefin tuna of illicit origin.
In addition, nearly half a million euro in cash, jewelery, watches and other high-value objects have been seized, seven high-end vehicles, valued at more than EUR 600,000, in addition to a large amount of documentation that would demonstrate the "laundering" in the commercialization of illegally caught tuna and their illicit profits.
The operation began after obtaining information about possible irregularities in bluefin tuna catch in the Mediterranean. As the investigation progressed, it was found that the first companies investigated took advantage of the legal part of their business activity to introduce a large number of illegally caught animals.
Thus, with invoices and other documents that corresponded to the legal purchase of tuna, coming in many cases from duly authorized farms, covered other specimens illegally caught.
The monitoring of the connections among companies and the study of the movement of the products made it possible to establish the different activities in which they were participants, documenting the deliveries of black money and collecting documentation that had been presented with identical content in different points of sale.
The Civil Guard informed that although the commercialization activity of the companies investigated was centered in Spain, most of the specimens came from other countries, except for a very low percentage of undeclared Spanish catches.
One of the roads originated in Malta, from where some pieces of legal origin were sent by air and at the same time, by road from this country the largest volume of animals was entered using the legal documentation of the first shipment to cover this illicit trade.
Another route of entry started in Italy using similar procedures, except that, in this case, when proceeding with the production of illegal catches, it arrived in Spain by road without any documentation and traceability control.
Once in Spain, the distribution lines were unified to smaller companies in the sector, differentiating the legal pieces from the illegal ones according to the document that covered them, which entailed differentiated prices.
The illegal fishing transit from Italy and Malta was through French ports.
The calculations made by the researchers estimate, at least, an annual volume of more than 1.25 million kilos of tuna from Malta (legal), while the one that was marketed illegally would exceed twice that amount: more than 2.5 million kilos.
Taking into account that for each kilo they obtained a minimum benefit of EUR 5, the data indicate that they would have illegally obtained a total of EUR 12.5 million per year.
In the course of the investigation it was also possible to verify that the fish had experienced different hygienic-sanitary irregularities during conservation once they had been caught.
Sometimes, the animals were killed at sea and kept under water until they could be safely carried to land, which accelerated the normal process of loss of qualities.
Furthermore, the specimens were transported without respecting the conservation norms breaking the cold chain in some points.
It was possible to verify that several cases of intoxication due to the consumption of parts traded by the network caused by the degradation of proteins could have occurred when keeping the tuna in poor conservation conditions.
The operation was developed by agents belonging to the Ucoma (Central Operative Environment Unit) of the Seprona Headquarters of the Civil Guard, with the collaboration, on an international level, of the Carabinieri of Italy and the French National Gendarmerie. Likewise, during the records and inspections, work was carried out in coordination with the Inspection of the General Secretary of Fisheries of MAPA.
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