Tuna scam uncovered
‘Dodgy’ fish would have been sold as a fresh product
A MASSIVE 45 tonnes of tuna have been seized by the Guardia Civil in an operation which spanned Alicante province, Murcia, La Coruña and Barcelona.
A force spokesman explained that the frozen tuna should only have been sold to the canning industry.
However, it was offered as a fresh product which increased its value by more than four times on the open market.
A security services operation, carried out with the help of Interpol and Europol, was launched in January by officers from Alicante.
In the first instance they discovered 10 tonnes of Bigeye tuna (thunnus obesus) which did not have paper- work to indicate where and when it had been caught.
A spokesman for the force explained that a haul of yellow-fin tuna (thunus albacares) was then found in the refrigeration units of another wholesaler which also had no documentation to pinpoint its origin or how and when it had been frozen.
After a lengthy investigation the officers were able to discover that both lots of tuna had been caught in the Atlantic on boats with refrigeration systems which were not adapted to new European laws.
“In order to be sold for human consumption fish has to be frozen at a temperature of at least - 18ºC,” said the spokesman.
Some wholesalers were buying the tuna at low prices, the spokesman noted.
After it was defrosted, they would inject the fish with large quantities of additives which were ‘ much higher than the recommended levels’.
The officers found that tuna was being sent to the canning industry, while parts of the catch were being sold as a fresh product.
The spokesman said the canning industry price was less than €3 a kilo, but the wholesalers were getting as much as €14 a kilo for passing it off as fresh fish.
The fishing boats were operating under flags from France, Panama and El Salvador.
Four people face charges in connection with the illegal practices.
The spokesman said the police operation remains open and further action may take place in the near future.