Customs police authorities in 24 European countries have managed to seize around six million liters of alcoholic beverages, including wine and beer, of poor quality, contraband or counterfeit.
The operation led by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) was specifically aimed at obtaining illicit alcoholic beverages. “This issue goes far beyond public revenue: we also protect the health and safety of European consumers, as well as legitimate businesses,” explained OLAF Director General Ville Itälä.
In addition to alcoholic beverages, cereals, grains and derived products, fruits, vegetables, legumes, sweet and sugary products, meat and meat products, seafood and dairy products, among others, have been seized.
Every year this operation known as Opson is carried out, which focuses on the fight against food and drink counterfeiting, as well as food fraud in general. So far this year, 8,000 tons of illicit products have been confiscated in 400 inspections.
The Europol agency has highlighted the risks of fraud related to the recycling of spoiled or expired food to reduce production costs that are increasing after the Covid-19 crisis.
Europol has detected this year “a relatively new trend” of relabeling expired food. They have explained how, in most cases, criminal organizations buy food that should have been destroyed from waste disposal companies and then erase the expiration dates on the labels and print new ones to replace them.
In Spain, the Civil Guard, in collaboration with OLAF, has carried out two investigations, one in Seville and another in Zaragoza, related to meat product fraud.
The investigation in Seville has resulted in two people being charged with crimes against public health, forgery and fraud for trafficking in ham without traceability and with a manipulated expiration date. Likewise, the operation has managed to confiscate a total of 48,896 kilos of meat and 3,000 pieces of ham and sausages.
In Zaragoza, the investigation resulted in eight detainees, 48 more people under investigation and the seizure and destruction of more than 25 tons of food products.
