From Reports Conclusion: “Thousands of kilograms of European glass eels have been seized since 2012, representing millions of individual eels. It is unclear what share of the total illegal flow is interdicted, but law enforcement surveillance and intelligence suggest the share is rela- tively low. For example, one operation seized less than 500 kg of eels from a group that evidence later suggested had exported more than ten times that amount.

The volume and value of this trade is thus difficult to estimate. The 6,000 kg of glass eels seized in 2018 alone would have been worth up to nine million euros to importers. Accord- ing to law enforcement sources interviewed by UNODC, records seized from a criminal group as evi- dence suggest that similar volumes are shipped by individual groups annually. Of course, the glass eels are only the front end of the produc- tion process. Each kilogram of glass eels, costing 1,500 euros on the black market, can be converted into some 9,000 euros worth of filet on a wholesale level, thus enriching businesses who use trafficked eels in their production process. Wholesalers do not pocket all this money, of course, since the costs of farming must be taken into account, but given the volumes, the profits appear considerable.