21 December (London, England) – This week, law enforcement authorities in France, Spain, and Portugal successfully intercepted six tonnes of European eels set to be trafficked to eel farms in eastern Asia. The juvenile eels were discovered alongside a shipment of more than thirty tonnes of molluscs, which were used as a decoy to distract enforcement agencies at the national and international levels. It represents the continuation of a trend which has seen environmental crime networks posture as legitimate fish and seafood businesses. There were 52 arrests spread over a series of operations lasting 17 days with Six high value targets were detained.
The contaminated Japanese clams, harvested in unsanitary and unregulated conditions, are linked to increased risk of hepatitis, among other health concerns. It is thought that Europol’s investigations have prevented significant injuries or deaths this December. But the principal achievements of the campaign are in terms of the sheer quantity of eels seized, and the insights gained into the methodologies criminal networks use to conceal their glass eel businesses.
It has been known for some time that the endangered European eel is an important target for criminal trade networks. Harvested as glass eels, they are then transported in suitcases to high-demand markets in Asia where they reach exorbitant prices, owing to their status as critically endangered species. What this investigation demonstrates is that traffickers are able to exploit multi-dimensional business structures to launder money, blending high-value exports with other illegal activities and lawful trade to avoid detection by enforcement authorities.
The illegal exploitation of the eel not only threatens biodiversity but also undermines the responsible businesses who consider the social, environmental, and economic issues at play in any given trade. By resisting these systems and committing to high standards, the sector has the ability to safeguard public health, ecosystem health, and the integrity of its product.
The Sustainable Eel Group is committed to educating buyers about the hidden consequences of purchasing fish and seafood without an accredited sustainability standard. By reviewing and revising the SEG Standard on a regular basis, it aims to close the so-called ‘grey area’, ensuring traceability at all stages of the food supply chain, from the fishery to the marketplace.
This follows another interception of black market eel meat en route to hospitality businesses in Mexico earlier this month.
Europol’s investigations reveal that criminal organisations often use legitimate businesses as fronts to launder money and obscure their illegal trade. These operations span multiple industries, including seafood fraud, wildlife trafficking, and counterfeit goods. The trafficking of European eels remains a key concern, with end-of-year research indicating that the best organised networks are still smuggling up to 300 tonnes of glass eels annually for global markets.
‘This week’s enforcement actions demonstrate the effectiveness of coordinated, multi-agency operations in disrupting criminal enterprises’, according to Andrew Kerr, Chairman and Founder of the Sustainable Eel Group. ‘Europol’s success is a powerful reminder of the importance of international collaboration in the hard fight against organised crime’.
The Sustainable Eel Group would like to commend Europol, the UK Wildlife Crime Unit, the European Union Anti-Fraud Office, and local enforcement authorities for their continued support in the anti-trafficking space. Through its standard and its commitment to transparency and disclosure in the eel sector, SEG will do everything in its power to support these authorities in their long-term objectives. As an eel conservation group with a presence in Britain and the European Union, SEG urges policymakers and enforcement agencies to maintain momentum in combating these complex international networks which still dominate the illegal eel trade.