Spain: 34 arrests for waste trafficking to Africa

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The Spanish Civil Guard arrested 34 people in the Canary Islands, Gran Canaria and Tenerife. These people are involved in the illegal trafficking of waste electrical and electronic equipment to several countries in Africa, Senegal, Ghana, Gambia, Togo, Benin, Guinea, Sierra Leone and, above all, Nigeria. Between 2018 and 2019, 138 illegal transfers took place.

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From our correspondent in Madrid, François Musseau

Engines, vehicle spare parts, various household appliances, and above all a considerable quantity of electrical and electronic equipment, in total, over two years, at least 2,500 tonnes of this type of waste have been exported since l 'Spanish archipelago of the Canaries towards several African countries, Nigeria in particular.

About thirty people are involved, including a 62-year-old Italian woman, whose residence in the Canaries was searched from top to bottom. The investigation of the Civil Guard concluded that what passed through customs as spare equipment was in fact hazardous waste. Once arrived in African countries, according to Spanish investigators, they arrived in the hands of children who extracted aluminum and copper.

However, from the same police source, this waste is very dangerous, since it contains mercury, arsenic or phosphorus. In addition, their improper use releases gases contributing to global warming.

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