Europol’s intellectual property crime unit seized 150,000 liters of adulterated olive oil heading for German restaurants and arrested 20 people in a joint operation with the Italian NAS Carabinieri and the Tribunal of Darmstadt in Germany.
The accused allegedly modified low-quality sunflower oil with chlorophyll, beta-carotene and soya, which was then passed off as extra virgin olive oil to be sold in Germany. In some cases, genuine olive oil had been completely replaced with fake oil but was still touted as olive oil.
The oil adulteration took place by a well-organized gang at an unregulated mill in Italy under unsanitary conditions. It was then transported to warehouses in Germany for distribution to buyers.
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The accused included drivers who made fortnightly deliveries of the fake oil to Germany in trucks and accomplices who were responsible for the production and packaging of the oil.
Twenty houses were searched in Italy whilst in Germany five trucks, each carrying 23,000 liters of fake oil, were hauled in. Overall, 150,000 liters of fake olive oil were confiscated at a range of locations during the operation.
The accused are believed to have pocketed around €8 million ($8.93 million) annually from their adulterating operation. It is also believed that they acquired one million liters of sunflower oil each year for around €100,000,000 ($111,690,000) and then sold on their fake olive oil for between €5 and €10 ($5.58 and $11.17) per liter.
This seizure was part of an ongoing effort by Operation OPSON to eradicate food fraud and prevent substandard food and drinks being distributed across Europe and further afield.
Al-Zoubi, Julie. “150,000 Liters of Fraudulent Oil Seized by Europol.” Olive Oil Times, Olive Oil Times, 21 May 2019, https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-business/150000-liters-of-fraudulent-oil-seized-by-europol/68065
