Search carried out in Kildare as part of suspected horse-trafficking network investigation
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine provided assistance with the searches, along with officers from the Belgian Police and Europol
An Garda Síochána (AGS) has carried out a search in County Kildare, as well as in other counties, as part of suspected horse-trafficking network investigation.
A spokesperson for AGS said that gardaí have ‘played a central role’ in an international enforcement operation targeting a criminal network suspected of trafficking horses across Europe.
According to the spokesperson, those involved in this network are suspected of using falsified documents and manipulated microchips in order to conceal the animals’ true identities.
OTHER SEARCHES
The spokesperson explained that the operation took place between Tuesday, September 8 last and Wednesday, September 9 last.
They elaborated: “In the course of the operation, searches were carried out in counties Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Kildare, Dublin and Donegal by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
“The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine provided assistance with the searches along with officers from the Belgian Police and Europol.”
The spokesperson continued: “The investigation, led by Belgian authorities, centres on the alleged large-scale trade of horses whose identification details and histories were fraudulently altered, enabling their movement and resale throughout Europe.
“The criminal network is suspected of forging horse passports and manipulating microchips to grant the animals new identities, obscuring their true background and eligibility for human consumption.”
“During the co-ordinated action, 25 searches were conducted across Europe, including eight in Ireland.
“AGS worked closely with police forces and administrative authorities in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, with Europol providing vital support in information exchange, operational coordination and analytical expertise.”
They also revealed that all evidence seized is currently under analysis and that investigations by AGS into this matter are ongoing.
The spokesperson concluded by asserting that AGS ‘remains committed to disrupting serious and organised crime and safeguarding public health and animal welfare across Ireland’.