79 arrested in Spain for illegally smuggling bluefin tuna
Spanish police arrested 79 suspects in a case regarding illegally smuggling bluefin tuna from Italy and Malta into Spain. The operation had been taking in an estimated €12.5 million annually.
The operation revealed a large network of fishing companies and distributors were involved in the ring, including one of Europe’s biggest seafood farming companies, the Spanish Ricardo Fuentes and Sons Group, according to Europol. Investigators found the fish had been caught illegally in Italian and Maltese waters, imported to Spain via French harbours, and was then traded illegally in Spain. The bluefin from Malta was imported illegally using documents from legal fishing and authorized farms, while the fish caught in Italian waters arrived in Spain without documents or inspections. Additionally, some of the fish seized in the raid had been caught in Spanish waters and transported in false bottoms under the deck of a fishing vessel, Europol said in a press release. Several people became sick after eating the products brought into the country illegally, likely as a result of the unhygienic conditions the fish was stored after being caught and transported.
Police seized 80,000 kilos of bluefin tuna of illicit origin, in addition to €500,000 in cash and jewellery, seven high-end vehicles collectively valued at more than €600,000 and documents demonstrating the tuna was caught illegally and smuggled into Spain.
Samantha Burgess, Head of Marine Policy for WWF Europe, called for the European Parliament and Council to revisit the E.U.’s regulations to ensure compliance with the rules through improved monitoring and control methods, including digitization of records.
"This level of smuggled fish and black money occurring on the European market in 2018 contravenes the leadership role that the EU is taking in the global fight against illegal fishing. Only through digitization of records to trace where fish were caught can we remove the legal loopholes and ensure each member state takes their responsibilities seriously to prevent more illegal fish entering the E.U. market," she said, according to Seafood Source magazine.
Next month, from 12 to 19 November, Croatia will host the meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
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