400 pets rescued in joint police operation against animal abuse

A joint operation between Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra police, Barcelona's local police, Spain's national police and Guàrdia Civil rescued 400 pets in an operation against animal abuse, as announced on Wednesday morning. 

Law enforcement officials have also detained 13 people. 

The animals saved were primarily dogs, puppies and cats with a market value of between €500 and €1,500, according to the police.

Those detained are facing several charges, including animal abuse, unauthorized practice of a profession, scams, forgery of official documents and money laundering. 

The criminal group behind the sales of these animals was dismantled on September 20 after investigators linked several organizations in Madrid, Barcelona, Andorra, and countries in Eastern Europe where the animals came from. 

Out of the 13 detainees, one is in prison and the rest have been released on bail. 

This is the first time the four police units have worked together, a collaboration that started in 2020 after observing some deficiencies in Barcelona's 'Bitxets' pet store, where officials found 33 sick dogs. 

Barcelona's Guàrdia Urbana police confirmed there was animal abuse due to the lack of care among pets, which caused some to die. Meanwhile, passports and health records of these animals showed "obvious anomalies," leading police to confirm they were forged. 

Officers also found issues with animal transport and pets care both during the selling process and at their destination.  

Pets would normally be transferred by road in small spaces with a lack of ventilation and for long trips that could last up to 2,000 kilometers, or around 20 hours of journey. 

Every animal, disregarding their condition, was being sold by the criminal group, including the healthy ones, sick ones and even those still developing a sickness. Many times, these dogs worsened once they were sold and affected other puppies. 

Among the detainees was a vet in Barcelona which would sign all the documents to give more credibility to the sale. 

Economic purposes 

According to the police, the only purpose of the criminal group was "economic," as they did not take care of the animals' welfare nor in preventing new diseases. 

Many of the animals were transported under the legal age of three months, and were sold "as soon as possible" once they reached the destination. 

While the group was headquarted in Barcelona and Madrid, it also operated in the Catalan cities of Mataró, Girona, Sant Cugat, and Esplugues. The puppies would normally come from Spain, Andorra, or even Dubai. 

Mossos do not rule out any more detentions, and the rescued animals are now in foster homes or in animal shelters after receiving clinical attention.

Barcelona city council will inform soon the process to adopt these pets on their social media.