Gardai search Galway farms and businesses as part of trafficking operation
Eight searches were carried out in Ireland
Gardai searched Galway farms and animal businesses across Tuesday and Wednesday as part of an investigation into horse trafficking.
Europol supported the garda led operation which is a crackdown internationally on the criminal underworld using false documents and chips to hide an animals identity.
As well as here in Galway, searches were also carried out by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Kilkenny, Tipperary, Kildare, Dublin and Donegal by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).
Eight searches were carried out in Ireland and 25 in total across Europe with the evidence seized being examined at the moment.
Alongside Europol, assistance was also provided into the investigation by The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine along with officers from the Belgian Police.
The investigations is centred around the “large scale trade of horses with fraudulently or altered identification” allowing an easier process of movement and selling throughout Europe.
A garda spokesman said: “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.
“An Garda Síochána 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.
“An Garda Síochána remains committed to disrupting serious and organised crime and safeguarding public health and animal welfare across Ireland.”