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Date Published: 19/10/2023

VIDEO: More than 400 animals rescued from illegal traffickers in Barcelona

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Police have arrested 13 members of a gang in Spain that trafficked hundreds of animals illegally and in abusive conditions

VIDEO: More than 400 animals rescued from illegal traffickers in Barcelona

More than 400 animals have been rescued from an illegal trade network that operated throughout Spain. Through 12 searches of Barcelona pet stores, farms, veterinary clinics and homes, police found 357 dogs and 51 cats, many of them sick and living in horrendous, cramped conditions.

A vast criminal network, headed by 36-year-old ringleader Efrén A, operated in Barcelona, Madrid, Andorra and Eastern Europe and officers discovered that many of the puppies were illegally shipped from Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary when they were just a few weeks old.

Future owners ended up paying between 500 and 2,000 euros for the sick, unvaccinated animals, many of which were trafficked on false passports and ended up dying.

Thirteen arrests have been made in all and the suspects now face charges of animal abuse, fraud, forgery and money laundering.

👮👮‍♀️ En una operació conjunta amb @GUBbarcelona, @policia i @guardiacivil desarticulem una organització criminal que comerciava amb animals

🔗 Detenim 13 persones
🐶🐱 Rescatem més de 400 animals de companyia

📝 https://t.co/JBp9JFcY7L pic.twitter.com/9REQsH6xxL
— Mossos (@mossos) October 18, 2023

In the three years investigators have been tracking the gang, police believe they have illegally moved “thousands of animals.”

Many of the puppies and kittens were born abroad and shipped to Spain in small vehicles where they were all packed tightly in filthy conditions for hours on end. The animals became ill and infected each other, after living in unhealthy conditions that the police claim also occurred in breeding centres located directly in Spain.

One young dog rescued from a clandestine puppy farm in Girona, a premises that was particularly unsanitary, had to have his leg amputated.

"The criminal organisation included a veterinarian who provided her knowledge and signature in order to give an image of sufficient reliability with which to guarantee that the animals sold were in good condition," the authorities said in a statement.

All of the rescued cats and dogs are being nursed back to health in local shelters and will soon be placed for adoption.

The new Animal Welfare Law that came into force in Spain in September prohibits the sale of pets in stores or online. Purchase is only possible through authorised breeders. Trafficking can pose risks to public health, as illegally bred pets are often not vaccinated and can transmit rabies, parasites and infectious diseases to animals and people.

Images: Guardia Civil

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