A worldwide circuit, and lucrative operations.
The Spanish Customs and Civil Guard have "dismantled" a "criminal organization which, in the last two years, had managed to send from the Spanish island of Gran Canaria more than 5,000 tons of hazardous waste electronic devices to the Africa.
The economic benefit of this traffic has been estimated at more than one and a half million euros, according to the Spanish authorities.
This waste contains substances and gases that damage the ozone layer and contribute to global warming, said a press release from the Ministry of Finance.
Waste presented as second-hand items in Africa
The waste was sent by boat, “mainly” to Mauritania, Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal.
Authorities arrested 43 people "for alleged crimes against the environment, forgery and use of forgery, and membership in a criminal organization."
The latter “removed the waste from the legal sector” with the help of a “supposed management company which falsified documents on origin and management”, detailed the authorities.
This waste was then presented as second-hand items to be sent to these African countries.
However, this waste, which contains mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic and phosphorus in particular, must be handed over to authorized companies for decontamination.
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