Authorities in France have dismantled an illegal eel-smuggling operation, arresting seven individuals suspected of causing approximately €476,000 in ecological damage. The operation involved the trafficking of European elvers, which are critically endangered and subject to strict fishing regulations in France. Poachers target these juvenile eels, as they can command high prices in Asia, far surpassing legal market rates in Europe. The crackdown led to the seizure of assets, including vehicles, and potential severe legal consequences for the accused, highlighting the ongoing struggle against environmental crimes related to wildlife trafficking.
Police broke up an operation smuggling critically endangered eels in western France, arresting seven people suspected of causing nearly half a million euros' worth of ecological damage.
European elvers—the eel in their juvenile state—are threatened with extinction, in part due to poachers hoping to make a killing by flogging them off to eel-ravenous buyers in Asia.
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