Spain's Civil Guard has arrested 42 people linked to a criminal group that cost the municipality of Madrid up to 16 million euros ($17.5 million) by stealing waste and shipping it to Southeast Asia, in violation of the European Union laws, European police agency Europol said in a press release on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th February, 2020) Spain's Civil Guard has arrested 42 people linked to a criminal group that cost the municipality of Madrid up to 16 million Euros ($17.5 million) by stealing waste and shipping it to Southeast Asia, in violation of the European Union laws, European police agency Europol said in a press release on Friday.
According to the agency, the group made 278 shipments containing 67,000 tonnes of waste, worth approximately $11 million. The group also stole 9,300 tonnes of paper worth $2.5 million and caused damage to public property.
During a raid, law enforcement officers seized 11 trucks used by the group, which stole waste from public containers before shipping it to destinations including China, India, Indonesia and South Korea, the agency stated.
Brussels has strict legislation governing the transfer of garbage from one member state to another, as well as to non-EU countries, in order to reduce overall waste and protect the environment.
In April 2018, Spain's Civil Guard busted another waste-trafficking group that acquired used tires in the country before shipping them to South America and Africa. The group obtained profits of almost 2 million euros, according to Europol.
