Searches have taken place in Donegal and five other counties as part of what’s been described as an international enforcement operation targeting a criminal network suspected of trafficking horses across Europe using falsified documents and manipulated microchips to conceal the animals’ true identities.
The searches took place on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 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. During the coordinated action, 25 searches were conducted across Europe, including eight in Ireland.
As well as Donegal, searches were carried out in counties Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Kildare and Dublin.
Evidence seized is currently under analysis and investigations are ongoing.
Gardaí say they remain committed to disrupting serious and organised crime, and safeguarding public health and animal welfare across Ireland.
