Posted on 12/18/2023 9:19:19 PM PST by nickcarraway
Wildlife trafficking is an ongoing problem in Spain and throughout Europe. In a recent crackdown, authorities in Guadalajara have made a significant arrest and seized 170 kilos of live elvers.
On a routine inspection, Guardia Civil officers apprehended an individual on Tuesday, December 12, near Cifuentes, Guadalajara. During a Citizen Security patrol, officers identified a rental van which was parked at a service station.
Upon questioning the driver of the vehicle appeared nervous. The officer’s suspicions were well-founded as the van, which seemingly carried clothing, hid a more sinister cargo.
Elver Smuggling Exposed
In what appeared to be an ordinary vehicle, the Guardia Civil discovered several cork coolers nestled among boxes of clothes. These coolers contained a staggering 170 kilos of live elvers, an endangered species. The estimated market value of this illegal haul approaches €200,000. The driver was unable to prove the legal origin of the goods.
Efforts To Combat Illegal Trade
This led to the driver’s arrest on charges of illegal trafficking and trade in protected wildlife species, as well as smuggling offences. The Guardia Civil’s swift action resulted in the elvers being transferred to a fish farm, ensuring their survival and eventual return back into the wild.
International Implications And Enforcement
European eel populations have plummeted, as a result of poaching in Spain and illegal trafficking through ports and airports. The species nearly reached extinction in 2009, and was included in the CITES Convention, their protection is paramount.
Despite stringent regulations, including the EU’s ‘zero quota’ banning exports and imports with non-EU countries, illicit trafficking persists. Criminal groups often export these eels to Asian markets, where they are fattened and returned to Europe as smoked eel, fetching over €1,000 per kilo.
Elf trafficking is one of the unspoken problems of our time.
Man caught smuggling live elves? It’s Christmas week: Must be Santa!
Oh, never mind.
eel veal.
“Elf trafficking is one of the unspoken problems of our time.”
Right up there with elf juggling.
The Presley estate could not be reached for comment...
Since they are living things worth a lot you would think some clever fellow would find a way of growing them. The law must be stupid in this regard to prevent such a profitable venture.
I thought Elvis impersonators were making a comeback and Kim Basinger was going to have to save us again.
(”Elvis has left the building” movie reference)
I had to look it up too
Well..... what did you find out?
“LOL!! Read it quickly and thought it said live elves”
Legolas is not amused.
They’re taking the contraband to Isengard!
The Quinault Tribe and probably more, make a celebratory dish that looks like Peanut Butter out of mashed, rinsed Acorns and Eels. I have a customer who showed me a jar of the stuff last week. Thankfully she didn’t offer me any…I’m not a fan of Eels, but the Acorn mash intrigued me.
She says that washing and rinsing the mash turns the Acorns sweet. Perhaps a dip or dressing for a bug roast if the WEF goons have their way.
Shut up, kid, listen to your elvers!
There are commercial eel farms in the US. Two(?) in FL, Pennsylvania, and Maine. One in Deleware. One of the FL farms is located in the Keys.
and one was at Federal Point on the St. Johns River near Hastings. I live about a mile from the location.
Unfortunately, I believe it has been converted to pot growing. For the first 20 or so years after I moved here, the facility used outdoor cement ponds, covered in the winter with greenhouse framing. A friend who was the Army Corps of Engineering office head told me they were permitted for 6 million gallons of groundwater each day. Used once, then discharged to the river. This is typcal of non-recirculating farms.
https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/aquaculture/aquaculture-fin-fish-species/american-eel
I have no idea why the business closed. Most of their markets were Europe and Asia.
“One shy of a twelver,”
Brilliant. :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.