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GIPUZKOA AND NORTH
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The operation against illegal trafficking in angles has ended with 10 detainees and 400 kilos seized

The joint operation between the Civil Guard and the Gendarmerie has disbanded a group operating in Gipuzkoa and Iparralde.

Confiscation of angles. Photo: Civil Guard

The Civil Guard has terminated the so-called "Well" operation by dismantling a group of criminals engaged in the illegal trafficking of European eel, a protected species in a critical state of conservation. 

In the joint operation with the French gendarmerie, 10 people have been arrested and investigated, and more than 400 kilograms of angles destined for the black market have been seized.

The investigation began in early 2025 and identified a group ofclandestine fishermen operating in Gipuzkoa and Iparralde who avoided controls , who sold their fishing to a company for illegal distribution without health guarantees.

In the final phase of the operation, four arrests have been made in Gipuzkoa and searches have been carried out in companies and homes. Agents have seized 28 kilograms of living angles and 407 kilograms of frozen angles. It was a product collected without sanitary control, so it was not suitable for human consumption.

At the same time, six arrests and searches have been carried out in the North, including 10 kilos of frozen angles and 13,000 euros.

The angles are young specimens oftheEuropean eel (Anguilla anguilla), a species in critical condition whose international trade is fully regulated. The demand in Asian markets is high, and thepoundof  can reach 5,000 euros .

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