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Around 190 tonnes of illegal pesticides have been discovered at airports and harbours in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain, Europol on Friday (18 December). EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
“Europol have supported the massive 12-day international operation Silver Axe, during which 350 inspections of containers were carried out at major ports and airports in seven countries. As a result, law enforcement agencies discovered 190 tonnes of illegal or counterfeit pesticides,” said the law enforcement agency of the EU in a statement.
In addition, the inspections revealed one hundred infringement cases of products containing potentially unauthorised chemicals. This has led to several more investigations being opened.
>>Read: National Front stung in attempt to ban bee pesticide
“This is another example of efficient borderless policing encouraged and supported by Europol,” the statement by Wil van Gemert, deputy director of the operation, continued.
“These huge seizures of hazardous substances, and the considerable number of investigations initiated, are the result of continuously developing cooperation between the European law enforcement community and the private sector,” he added.
From 16 to 27 November, operation Silver Axe focused on the fraudulent sale and import of pesticides, including the violation of intellectual property rights and trademarks.
