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On the smugglers’ trail - Making billions from tiny eels | DW Documentary

The European eel is threatened with extinction. But it is also a highly sought-after commodity on the global market. The trade in young eels is booming. And it’s increasingly controlled by organized crime. The film "Billion Dollar Babies — The Big Business of Eel Trafficking" tells the story of a multi-billion-dollar illegal trade, centered on one of nature’s most enigmatic creatures. Born in the Sargasso Sea near the Bermuda Triangle, the eel begins its journey of up to 5,000 kilometers to Europe — as a translucent ‘willow-leaf’ larva known as a glass eel. To this day, it remains unclear exactly how the European eel reproduces. Commercial breeding isn’t possible: every eel consumed comes from the wild. The documentary follows the trail of a global network of smugglers, middlemen and high-ranking triad bosses. The investigative journey takes viewers from European fishing grounds via Paris to Hong Kong and on to mainland China. It extends as far as Haiti and examines the role that the lucrative eel smuggling trade may have played in the circumstances surrounding the assassination of the Haitian president. What begins as an investigation into a supposed niche area of the fishing industry turns into a shocking exposé of globalized environmental crime - with profit margins comparable to those of cocaine smuggling. The eel has become one of the most smuggled animals in the world. With impressive cinematography and exclusive access to investigators, insiders and key figures, the film reveals how the pursuit of profit is quietly driving an ecological disaster. #documentary #dwdocumentary #dwdocs ______ DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary. Subscribe to: ‬ ⮞ DW Documentary (English): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumentary ⮞ DW Documental (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumental ⮞ DW Documentary وثائقية دي دبليو (Arabic): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocarabia ⮞ DW Documentary हिन्दी (Hindi): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdochindi ⮞ DW Dokumenter (Indonesian): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDokumenter ⮞ DW Doku (German): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdoku For more visit: http://www.dw.com/en/tv/docfilm/s-3610 Follow DW Documentary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwdocumentary/ Follow DW Documental on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwdocumental We kindly ask viewers to read and stick to the DW netiquette policy on our channel: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G