This Wednesday, the Mossos d'Esquadra lead a large police operation resulting from a complex investigation that in the last year has gathered evidence against a criminal organization dedicated to importing dogs raised on illegal farms from Hungary. Some animals that were later sold in establishments in Madrid and Barcelona at exorbitant prices and with false documentation. Some animals that many of them arrived with serious illnesses that were hidden from their new owners.
An investigation led by court number 23 of Barcelona and the Prosecutor's Office specialized in the Environment and directed by the Medi Ambient group of the Mossos d'Esquadra, which during the investigation verified derivatives outside of Catalonia, opening the case to the Civil Guard, the National Police, the Barcelona Urban Guard and the Andorra Police.
The investigation is under confidentiality. During the day this Wednesday, the arrest of around twenty people is expected, including veterinarians and those responsible for animal businesses. And another twenty inspections of premises.
The police operation has also been carried out in Mataró (Maresme) in the Guau Guau pet store on Vía Europa, which was already reported for illegal pet trafficking and closed by the City Council due to administrative irregularities. On this occasion, Civil Guard agents have intervened on several dogs, most of them puppies, which have been transferred to the Mataró Shelter. The same agents who collected invoices and various documentation assured that they are also investigating a tax crime, without providing more details.
