Authorities in Europe are investigating a major horse trafficking operation that involved the illegal movement of horses across multiple countries. On September 8 and 9, French gendarmes conducted raids at nine horse centers and trading companies in several departments, including Gard, Saône-et-Loire, Haute-Saône, Mayenne, Sarthe, and Gironde. During the operation, 70 horses were seized out of approximately 600 that were checked. The investigation, launched by Belgian authorities, involves suspected actors in Ireland and the Netherlands. The alleged activities include falsifying animal passports and manipulating identification chips, possibly to facilitate the illegal use of horse meat for food. This case echoes the infamous 2013 horse meat scandal, in which horse meat was mixed with beef and sold in prepared meals across multiple brands without consumer knowledge. Although it is currently unclear what has happened to the seized horses or whether their meat has been used for human consumption, pet food, or export, the incident highlights ongoing concerns about illegal horse meat trafficking in Europe. The practice often involves former race or leisure horses, which are typically not meant for human consumption due to the medical treatments they have undergone. Recent legal actions have shown that this issue is not new. In January, three individuals were sentenced in Poitiers for altering health documents to sell equine meat. Similarly, in 2023, cases in Marseille involved horses obtained from private individuals through deceptive means or from a pharmaceutical laboratory farm. A common element in these cases is the falsification of documents to allow horses to pass inspections and be sent to slaughterhouses. Foodwatch, a food safety watchdog, has criticized the lack of resources dedicated to monitoring health controls and investigating fraud in the sector. The organization notes that detecting irregularities can help uncover illegal supply chains. One method used by fraudsters involves inserting the same identification chip into multiple horses, allowing them to bypass checks with new identities. Foodwatch also highlights the challenges of cross-border tracking, as the absence of a unified European database for horse identification creates opportunities for illegal activity.