Europol says about 15m of the creatures were seized last year in trade worth €3bn annuallyThe number of arrests for the smuggling of eels in Europe has increased by 50% after a concerted effort by enforcement agencies to tackle the problem. About 15m eels were seized last year and 153 arrests were made, compared with 98 arrests the year before. The pan-European police agency, Europol, said it was unable to provide further details such as how many arrests resulted in convictions. Europol has developed technology to identify and track the DNA of such trafficked eels. In Europe, the export and import of European eels has been suspended.

Source: The Guardian June 27, 2019 16:41 UTC