Agents of the Civil Guard have seized in the municipality of Bétera (Valencia) a total of 1,090 stuffed animals, intended for smuggling and valued at more than 29 million eurosthe greatest discovery of protected species nationwide and one of the largest in Europe.
Of the specimens found, 405 belonged to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), some of them even extinctlike the “oryx dammah”, or practically extinct like the “addax” or the Bengal tiger, as reported by the Civil Guard.
After this discovery, in an enclosure of more than 50,000 square meters, a person has been investigated for the alleged crimes of smuggling and another related to the protection of flora and fauna.
Among the specimens, animals with various levels of protection were found, such as the cheetah, leopard, lynx or white rhinoceros.
The operation, called VALCITES and developed by the Nature Protection Team of the Valencia Civil Guard Command, began last November, when the agents became aware of a possible private collection of animal specimens in the municipality of Bétera.
Among the specimens, animals with various levels of protection were found, such as the cheetah, leopard, lion, lynx, polar bear, snow panther or the white rhinoceros, and 198 pieces of large ivory tusks of elephants.
In the next phase of the operation, the agents will proceed to analyze all the documentation provided by the author to justify the possession of the aforementioned pieces.
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The inspectors and facultative technicians of the Technical Unit of the Headquarters of the Nature Protection Service and members of the Legal Institute and Forensic Sciences have collaborated in the operation, which thanks to the Integrated System of Management and Control of Quality and the Environment have been able to identify the protected species.
Also EUROPOL collaboratedframed within the EMPACT actions, of which the Civil Guard is co-leader, the same sources have indicated.
The proceedings have been delivered to the Court of First Instance and Instruction number 2 of Llíria (Valencia).