The Sustainable Eel Group is pleased to acknowledge the conviction of Kevin Forbes, who has been successfully sentenced for smuggling hundreds of live European eels across Britain’s maritime border with the Republic of Ireland. This outcome is a testament to the strength of collaborative law enforcement and underscores the importance of safeguarding the future of these endangered species.

Around this time last year, Forbes, from Dungannon in County Tyrone, was apprehended by Border Control officers on the north coast of Wales after attempting to transport thirty-seven boxes of adult European eels through the Port of Holyhead. Hidden in a pallet locker beneath the trailer of his HGV to circumvent standard inspection procedures, the eels were found in a state of distress, with some needing to be euthanised by experts from the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries, and Science.

The destination for the live cargo was unclear, as, unlike juvenile ‘glass eels’, adult ‘yellow eels’ have limited growth potential and cannot fetch thousands of pounds on the illegal aquaculture market. It is possible that the meat from the eels was intended for Billingsgate, and thus, the pie and mash shops in the East End of London. Following the departure of the UK from the EU, these traditional restaurants have increasingly switched out European eel for American eel to meet their loyal customer’s modest demand and this could have been taken as a welcome resource. However, the rationale for an illegal trade with such a modest exchange value is questionable. As a red-listed species, the European eel is no longer legally exportable, which means all stock sold without a permit is subject to suspicion.

Chairman Andrew Kerr would like to commend the North Wales Police, An Garda Síochána, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, whose collective determination was essential in bringing this case to justice. The effect of their efforts demonstrates the importance of robust enforcement of wildlife protection laws and the need for continued partnership work in preventing wildlife crime. He would also like to express his gratitude to the jurors at Mold Crown Court, who upheld the charge of customs and animal welfare offences. It is ultimately thanks to their sound judgement that Forbes was handed a twelve-month prison sentence for causing unnecessary suffering to a legally protected animal.

Investigating officer PC Amy Bennett, from the North Wales Police Rural Crime Team, remarked that Forbes’ actions demonstrated a disturbingly ‘grave disregard’ for the welfare of the eels, but that there were positive implications from her interventions. In highlighting ‘the need for stringent enforcement of wildlife protection laws’, the unusual case reenforces the importance of collaborative partnerships in tackling wildlife crime in all parts of Europe and ensuring the protection of endangered species.  Much like the cross-border task forces in Spain and Portugal, who cracked down on smuggling gangs last week, law enforcement officers on both sides of the Irish Sea have now ‘committed to working together to prevent such crimes and to safeguard Europe’s natural heritage for future generations’.

For more information, see:

‘Man sentenced after smuggling hundreds of endangered eels’, BBC News.