Police forces in Brazil, Switzerland and Spain have dismantled an international criminal organisation involved in the trafficking of endangered birds and animals, in an operation carried out across the three countries that has resulted in four arrests, two of them in Gran Canaria.
The investigation began in October 2025, following the arrest at Rio de Janeiro airport (Brazil) of a Swiss national who was attempting to fly to Europe with 24 eggs from protected bird species concealed under her clothing; specifically, red-faced parrots (Amazona brasiliensis) and red-spectacled parrots (Amazona petrei), according to a statement issued by the National Police.
Acting on that lead, the Brazilian Federal Police managed to identify the two main figures behind the network: the leader of the criminal organisation, as well as the supplier and coordinator of the illegal departures from South America.
Animal trade: 117 short journeys lead investigators to the flight route
Furthermore, the officers were able to establish that the latter had made 117 suspicious journeys between Brazil and Europe, staying for less than three days on each occasion in order to evade checks.
Earlier this month, the Brazilian Federal Police issued a formal request for urgent assistance after detecting a new journey by the supplier from Brazil to Gran Canaria, with a stopover in Switzerland.
Whilst in Switzerland, the supplier met with the ringleader and the two of them boarded a flight to Spain together.
Gran Canaria: International arrest warrants lead to arrests
Following the evidence gathered, the Brazilian Federal Police issued two urgent international arrest warrants via Interpol for the smuggling of wildlife.
In response, the Spanish police arrested the two suspects in Gran Canaria; they were brought before a court to begin the relevant extradition proceedings.
They are charged with membership of a criminal organisation and international trafficking in protected species.
Searches uncover cash and gruesome animal remains
During the investigation, to ensure the animals‘ preservation and prevent the destruction of evidence, the judicial authorities coordinated eight simultaneous searches: three in Brazil, three in Switzerland and two in Gran Canaria.
On the island, two hotel rooms where the detainees were staying were searched, and 30,000 euros in cash, obtained from illicit trafficking, was seized, along with syringes specifically designed for implanting microchips and animal identification tags.
Meanwhile, in Brazil and Switzerland, six house searches were carried out, during which numerous dead marmosets, stuffed animals and skeletal remains of various protected species were found in a Brazilian property, according to the police.
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