Between 8 and 9 September 2026, nearly 200 officers and representatives of different authorities took part in the operation across Belgium, France, Ireland and the Netherlands.

At the centre of this investigation led by Belgium is a suspected large-scale trade in horses whose identities and histories were allegedly manipulated to allow them to be moved and resold across Europe. Some of the animals may ultimately have been diverted into the food chain without their true origin and history being known.

This undermines the traceability systems designed to protect animal welfare and food safety and could result in horses not intended for human consumption being illegally sent for slaughter.

Giving horses new identities

Investigators suspect that forged horse passports and manipulated microchips were used to effectively give animals new identities. This allowed the suspects to obscure where the horses had come from, their previous history and whether they were eligible to enter the food chain.

Investigators are now working to establish the final destination of the animals. Horses are suspected of having been fraudulently resold under falsified identities, while others may have been diverted into the food chain.

Nearly 200 officers deployed across Europe

The coordinated operation, led by Belgium, saw authorities carry out 24 searches:

  • 4 in Belgium (East Flanders and Brabant)
  • 6 in Ireland (counties of Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Kildare, Dublin, Donegal)
  • 7 in France (Gard, Saône-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Gironde, Haute-Saône)
  • 7 in the Netherlands (Limburg, South Holland, North Brabant, Utrecht, Zeeland)

More than 1 000 horses were checked. Evidence seized during the searches is now being analysed. The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities in the participating countries working to identify further individuals potentially involved in the criminal network.

Europol supported the investigation, facilitating information exchange between the countries involved and providing operational coordination and analytical support.

Given the suspected link to the food chain, Europol also brought in expertise developed through Operation OPSON, which focuses on the trafficking of counterfeit and substandard food and beverages.

On the action days, Europol deployed experts to Belgium and Ireland to support the national authorities with the cross-checking of operational information against Europol’s databases and facilitate real-time information exchange between the participating countries.

Authorities involved

  • Belgium: Federal Judicial Police East Flanders (Federale Gerechtelijke Politie Oost-Vlaanderen), Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FAVV-AFSCA)
  • France: Central Office for Combating Environmental and Public Health Crime (Office central de lutte contre les atteintes à l'environnement et à la santé publique – OCLAESP), local administrative food and veterinary authorities
  • Ireland: Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (An Garda Síochána)
  • The Netherlands: Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority – Intelligence and Investigation Service (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit – Inlichtingen- en Opsporingsdienst)