Italian Fake Olive Oil Flooded into the Market – 24 Suspects Were Arrested by the Police

The European Union Newsroom reported that a few days ago, Italian police dismantled an organized crime group that was selling fraudulent olive oil. So far, 24 suspects have been arrested.

According to the report, the Italian food and health department first noticed this problem in a routine inspection. They found that a food supermarket in Foggia, Italy was selling olive oil products that were mixed with various substances, such as chlorophyll, beta-carotene and soya oil, to modify its color.

During the investigation, the police found that of the 24 criminal gangs suspected of counterfeiting, 17 lived in the city of Foggia in southern Italy. Fake olive oil, made and sold by the gang, has gone to food shops and many well-known restaurants in Italy. In addition, the police also found that the fake olive oil was sold and distributed in some European countries as well, such as Germany.

According to Europol, the fake oil was delivered to Germany in lorries every two weeks, and five lorries transporting 23 000 litres of counterfeit oil each were fould in the operation of searching 20 houses. At the same time, these Italy-based criminals also sold fake olive oil directly to consumers through the Internet sales platform, and goods were delivered to the buyers by the logistics company.

In order to arrest and bring to justice the key members of the crime group, the Italian police dispatched 250 police officers and carried out a unified arrest operation, also with the help of the European Union police. During the operation, the police arrested 24 suspects. So far, the authorities have ordered a recall of all problematic olive oil, and the police are still conducting further investigations.

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