Searches in Ireland targeting horse trafficking network

Searches have been carried out by gardaí as part of an international enforcement operation targeting a horse trafficking network.

The network is suspected of moving animals across Europe using falsified documents and manipulated microships to hide their true identities.

Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, said that some of the horses may have entered the food chain without their true origin and history being known.

This could result in animals not intended for human consumption being illegally sent for slaughter.

Garda searches were conducted earlier this week in counties Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Kildare, Dublin and Donegal by members of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. (GNBCI).