Thousands of eggs were found secreted in attics, offices and drawers.
The UK raids took place in November as part of Operation Pulka, an international effort to tackle organised wildlife crime. The raids began in June 2023 in Norway, and resulted in 16 arrests and the seizure of 50,000 eggs. In Australia, an estimated 3,500 eggs have been seized, which were worth up to £250,000.
Intelligence suggests this is a single, international crime network. The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) said it was the largest of its kind in the UK in terms of the number of eggs and the scale of the network. DI Mark Harrison from NWCU said: "The rarer a species is, the higher its demand and value to these criminals.
This story is from the December 30, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the December 30, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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