Law enforcement authorities from France, Portugal and Spain have arrested 62 people in a sting operation looking to prevent the illegal fishing and trade of contaminated mollusks in Iberian waters, according to the EU law enforcement agency Europol.
The organization seized 30 metric tons of mollusks and 6t of glass eels, which it valued at €10 million altogether.
The catch was primarily Japanese clams, which are a big draw for locals and tourists during the Christmas period. The gangs under scrutiny falsified the documentation to present the clams as suitable for human consumption, Europol said, despite contaminated mollusks posing a threat of serious diseases such as hepatitis.
One kilo of these clams can sell for up to €25, Europol noted. The gangs exploited fishers of Asian origins by paying them just €1/kg for their illegal catches made in Portuguese waters, which were then sent over the border to Spain.
The vast gap in prices paid and received means that Europol was able to link environmental crime and human trafficking to labor exploitation for the first time in EU legal history.
The same investigation also uncovered a criminal network involved in the illegal poaching, gathering and smuggling of glass eels across France, Portugal and Spain, according to Europol.
Six of the gang members arrested by the authority were also considered 'high value targets', it said.
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