(BBC) – UK officials investigating an illegal shipment of 1,400 tonnes of toxic waste to Brazil have made three arrests.
Environment Agency officers and police raided three properties in the Swindon area, arresting men aged 24, 28 and 49.
The UK is working with Brazil to return the contents of 99 containers to Britain. The waste reportedly includes syringes, condoms and bags of blood.
The investigation is focusing on the origin of the containers and how they ended up in three Brazilian ports.
The ports are understood to be Santos, near Sao Paulo, and two others in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
For legal reasons, the three men arrested cannot be identified.
The Environment Agency said it could not confirm Brazilian claims that at least two of the shipping containers held a mixture of household and clinical waste, including syringes and condoms.
It said it plans to search through the rubbish once it has been returned to the UK and ensure it is handled and disposed of properly.
Head of waste Liz Parkes said the arrests marked “significant progress” in the investigation.
She said: “The Environment Agency enforces the export of recyclable waste from England and Wales, and will not hesitate to prosecute any company or individuals found to have breached the strict laws on the export of waste.
