European investigation into horse trafficking leads to Kildare search
Gardaí are targeting a criminal network suspected of trafficking horses across Europe using falsified documents and manipulated microchips to conceal the animals’ true identities.
Searches were carried out in Kildare and several other counties in relation to a European investigation into a horse trafficking network.
Gardaí participated in this major operation supported by Europol targeting a horse trafficking network earlier this week, Tuesday and Wednesday 8 and 9 September.
Gardaí are targeting a criminal network suspected of trafficking horses across Europe using falsified documents and manipulated microchips to conceal the animals’ true identities.
Searches were carried out in counties Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Kildare, Dublin and Donegal by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) provided assistance with the searches along with officers from the Belgian Police and Europol.
The investigation, led by Belgian authorities, centres on the alleged large-scale trade of horses whose identification details and histories were fraudulently altered, enabling their movement and resale throughout Europe.
The criminal network is suspected of forging horse passports and manipulating microchips to grant the animals new identities, obscuring their true background and eligibility for human consumption.
During the coordinated action, 25 searches were conducted across Europe, including eight in Ireland.
Evidence seized is currently under analysis and investigations are ongoing.
