In a landmark case for the UK, seafood trader Gilbert Khoo was convicted in 2020 for illegally trafficking approximately 5.3 million critically endangered European eels from Spain to East Asia via the UK, in what authorities estimate was a £53 million black market operation. This three-year investigation, led by Cefas’ Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) in collaboration with the UK Border Force and National Crime Agency, culminated in the first prosecution of its kind under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011. Khoo hid the live eels under other fish and exported them to Asia, evading strict export controls designed to protect the species. A major breakthrough occurred in 2017 when Border Force officials seized a 200 kg shipment of juvenile eels at Heathrow, destined for Hong Kong SAR. The FHI not only built the case but also arranged for the eels' safe repatriation to Spain. The case highlights both the scale of Environmental Crime involving endangered aquatic species and the critical role of coordinated enforcement in combating it.