Cora is two and a half months old. She is a baby. A Dalmatian puppy who, since arriving at his new home in Madrid four days ago, has not complained, cried, or protested even once.
It was one of more than half a thousand animals rescued from the clutches of a complex criminal organization allegedly led by a Spaniard for whom dogs and cats were nothing more than an easy source of wealth. He is in prison accused, among other crimes, of animal abuse.
In October 2015, Eugeni Sánchez María became the first person imprisoned in Spain for a crime of animal abuse. He clubbed his racehorse to death and served eight months of confinement in Palma prison. Since then, those convicted of mistreating animals who have been imprisoned can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Hence the extraordinary relevance of the so-called Bitxet investigation, a joint operation of the Barcelona Urban Police, the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Civil Guard, the National Police and that of Andorra. Under the direction of the head of the 23rd court of Barcelona and the Environmental Prosecutor, they investigated an alleged criminal plot led by the Catalan Albino Efrén A. P., 36 years old, and who in the last 15 years accumulated a fortune selling pets, especially dog and cat puppies, whose well-being he cared nothing about.
The man was imprisoned accused of the continued crime of animal abuse, falsification of official and commercial documents, professional intrusion, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization.
The investigation has its origins in December 2020. Technicians from the Barcelona Animal Welfare office inspected the Bitxets pet store on Castillejos Street after the Urban Police intercepted a suspicious transport of puppies from Hungary.
The inspection report ended with the closure of the store. The sanitary and hygienic conditions of the animals were deplorable. Almost all of the puppies had some serious pathology. The establishment closed, but Efrén, who started in the animal handling business and rose through the ranks, maintained the business and found alternatives. In March 2021, the Seprona of the Civil Guard noticed him, and later the National Police and Environment of the Mossos d'Esquadra.
The complexity of the alleged criminal network that the investigators were facing made the magistrate and the prosecutor see the need to authorize the requests for communications intervention and monitoring.
This is how it was discovered how the suspect continued selling animals through second-hand websites or in new stores opened in the name of front men, in Esplugues de Llobregat, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Andorra and even Dubai. Some animals that he bought at a low price from farms in Hungary and Slovakia and that he transported with manipulated documentation to be able to bring the puppies before the authorized age for travel.
More than half of the animals died on the way and many others died in the facilities before being sold. With absolute disregard for animal welfare, in recent times there was such a demand for breeds like the poodle that he gave birth to bitches on a piece-rate basis and in deplorable conditions.
The arrests took place on September 20 at different points. Of the 13 arrested, only three were brought to justice and two went to prison, Efrén and a veterinarian from Barcelona who allegedly manipulated the documentation of the dogs and cats.
The more than 500 puppies rescued during the operation were distributed to shelters and associations in Barcelona and surrounding areas. Some of these puppies had already been sold, the families had paid a deposit and were waiting for delivery when the police force caught them in the middle. This was the case of Alejandro and his family, who were not going to take long to escape to Esplugues to pick up Cora, a two-month-old Dalmatian, after saying goodbye to another of the same breed with whom they had lived for the last 16 years.
As soon as he found out that Cora was one of the rescued animals, he telephoned all the shelters and associations in Barcelona and surrounding areas. Hours and hours on the phone without being able to locate the puppy. They felt helpless until an inspector from the Urban Police, who learned about the search through an acquaintance, located the Dalmatian. On Thursday Cora began the journey to a new life. Even her look has changed. She is beautiful, she is loved and she is happy.
