The Civil Guard has dismantled a criminal network that transported construction waste from France that should have been eliminated, for subsequent illegal resale in Spain, and has arrested six people for crimes against the environment, within the framework of Operation ‘Zikina’.
The operation has resulted in the arrest and investigation of six individuals and two legal entities in Spain, for the commission of various crimes against natural resources and the environment. The criminal network It operated through companies established in France and our country, transporting and receiving, respectively, construction and demolition waste that should have been disposed of in the country of origin.
As explained by the Civil Guard in a statement, the investigations began in December 2020, when numerous illicit cross-border shipments of waste were detected, originating in France and destined for several Spanish companies based in Guipúzkoa. This waste had to be eliminated but was declared in Spain as recovery (waste that can be given another use).
The French authorities detected two companies located in their country that worked with three waste managers located in Spain. After this, they issued a European Investigation Order (OEI) to carry out two searches in France and five in Spanish territory. From the latter, documentation could be seized that proved the transfers of waste and the links between the companies.
The operation has been carried out jointly by the OCLAESP (Central Office for the Fight against Attacks on the Environment and Public Health) of the French National Gendarmerie (GNF) and by the Environmental Research Group (GIMA 6) of the Central Operational Environment Unit (UCOMA) of Seprona.
Every year around 70 million tonnes of waste are transported between EU countries, of which between 15% and 30% could be illegal. In the European Union alone, illicit waste trafficking generates revenues of between 4,000 and 15,000 million euros annually.
4,861 criminal proceedings and 2,884 detainees
On World Nature Protection Day, Seprona has carried out a total of 4,861 criminal proceedings so far this year for crimes related to the environment, and in which 2,884 people have been arrested and investigated.
According to data provided by the Civil Guard, among the criminal offenses the crimes of mistreatment of domestic animals (792), urban planning crimes (544) and forest fire crimes (322) stand out, in addition to those of abandonment of domestic animals (175 ), hunting crimes (138) and other crimes related to the protection of flora and fauna (196).
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