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Searches in Ireland targeting horse trafficking network

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Garda conducted eight searches across Ireland as part of an international enforcement operation targeting a horse trafficking network involving 25 total searches across Europe.
The criminal network allegedly forged passports and manipulated microchips to conceal horses' true identities, enabling their illegal resale and potential slaughter of animals not intended for human consumption.
Nearly 200 officers from the Garda National Bureau, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Federal Police of Belgium, and Europol participated in the Europe-wide operation across the Republic, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
Europol checked more than 1,000 horses, warning that some may have entered the food chain without traceability, "undermining" systems designed to protect animal welfare and food safety.
The Garda stated it "remains committed to disrupting serious and organised crime and safeguarding public health and animal welfare across Ireland" as investigators analyze seized evidence to establish the animals' final destination.

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