European authorities arrest 27, seize tons of endangered eels in suspected smuggling ring

European authorities have arrested 27 suspects in an alleged illegal eel operation following a two-year investigation that prompted searches in France, Spain, Belgium and Poland, Spain’s Civil Guard said this week.  The Civil Guard, in a joint operation with the French National Gendarmerie, Europol and the European Anti-Fraud Office, seized 1½ tons of live critically endangered eels and several more tons of frozen eels that had gone through no food safety checks.  The