By Charlotte Van Campenhout
PARIS (Reuters) - Police have arrested 27 eel traffickers and seized 254 kg of contraband eels in an international investigation dubbed operation "Lake" that started almost 2 years ago, French authorities said in a statement on Friday.
Police discovered that four tonnes of eels had been fraudulently exported between 2021 and 2023 for a profit estimated at nearly 1,186,000 euros, the statement said.
The European eel is classified as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature so its fishing is regulated and subject to strict quotas.
Eels are very popular in some Asian countries and the small fish of about 10 centimetres can be traded at more than 5,000 euros ($5,504.00) per kg, the statement said.
The investigation, which involved cooperation between France, Spain, Europol, Eurojust and the European Anti-Fraud Office, uncovered illegal export channels to Asia used by an organized crime network active in various European countries.
Police made the arrests across France, Spain, Poland and Belgium and also confiscated 200,000 euros in cash.
In France, police seized 254kg of contraband eels.
($1 = 0.9084 euros)
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Christina Fincher)
