The four defendants, suspected of being part of a Portuguese-Chinese network of trafficking and trafficking in eels (baby eels) for the Asian market on Tuesday, remained silent at the start of the trial in an Aveiro court.
After the identification and familiarization with the indictment, the defendants informed the court that they did not intend to testify, so the meeting was interrupted, continuing on Thursday with the hearing of witnesses for the prosecution.
The four defendants, including a Chinese citizen, the alleged leader of the network, are charged with crimes of the underworld, smuggling and causing damage to nature. There are two more defendants in the process, two more Chinese nationals, who will be tried separately because their whereabouts have not been established.
The case was the result of Operation Sargasu carried out by the Food and Economic Security Authority (ASAE) in March 2018, culminating in the largest eel seizure recorded so far in Portugal, around 600 kg, worth over one million euros.
During the operation, several searches were carried out in houses in Aveiro and Coimbra, as well as in an aquaculture nursery, in 28 tanks there were almost 500 kg of live eels, more than 100 kg of frozen eels divided into several bags, about 32 thousand euros in cash. and over a hundred suitcases.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office (MP) charge, the head of the network was a Chinese businessman living in Gafaña da Nazaré, in Illhavo, who bought eels from catchers/fishermen, which were then placed in nurseries and sent to the Asian market by air, in travel bags.
According to investigators, the eel was placed in plastic bags with chilled water, through plastic bottles with ice, so that it reached its destination alive.
The network also involved three men of Portuguese descent who collaborated with the lead responder in collecting eels from trappers, transporting them and placing them in nurseries, in addition to logistical issues.
The deputy also says that the main accused recruited people in Asian countries who paid all the expenses for traveling to Portugal and staying in the country, for the sole purpose of transporting live eels.
In order to keep the eels alive for the time necessary to organize these trips, and until they accumulate the required number, the defendants used an aquaculture nursery and several dwellings where they installed or built water tanks.
The live eel is a CITES protected species due to the fact that its population has decreased by more than 70% in recent years, with a high demand in Asian markets, both for gastronomy and for agricultural purposes, where it reaches a very high level. . price. .
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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