Police in Spain and Italy have arrested 11 people and seized more than 5,000 liters of counterfeit olive oil after busting an international ring allegedly trying to sell the oil as its more expensive equivalents, such as extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin olive oil. Guardian.

The investigation, carried out by the Guardia Civil together with the Italian Carabinieri and Europol, led to searches in both countries and the search for olive processing cooperatives in the Spanish provinces of Ciudad Real, Jaén and Córdoba.

Suspicions first arose when Guardia Civil officers discovered “a series of anomalies” during an inspection of a truck carrying olive oil in the Ciudad Real region. They soon discovered an entire operation in Spain and Italy that was designed to distribute counterfeit olive oil to the world market.

“In Spain, they used a company that was linked to the purchase of lower-grade oils to replace cloudy and low-quality oils, to turn them into extra-virgin and extra-virgin oils, and then sell them with forged documents,” the Guardia Civil said.

“They blended cloudy oil – a byproduct of the olive oil production process – with better quality olive oil to get the right level of fat and [alte substanțe] so they can be sold. They also hindered tracking by not registering their companies’ oils.”

The Carabinieri discovered a similar alleged counterfeiting operation with two major oil refining companies in Italy.

“Eight simultaneous raids were conducted in Spain and Italy, and 11 people were arrested,” the report said.

During the search, the police seized more than 5,200 liters of falsified oil prepared for sale, 91,000 euros in cash and four state-of-the-art cars.

Olive oil prices rose across Europe as drought and other adverse weather conditions hit the crop for the second consecutive year.

Global production is expected to fall to 2.4 million tonnes, according to the International Olive Council, down from last year’s harvest and well below global demand of around 3 million tonnes.

Olive oil appeared in supermarkets in Spain

Supermarkets in Spain, the world’s biggest producer of olive oil, have started tying bottles of cooking oil to locks as prices rise and so does theft.

According to Reuters, one-liter bottles of extra virgin olive oil sold for 14.5 euros in some Spanish supermarkets in November, bringing olive oil into the category of products on which retailers place safety labels, alongside spirits, cosmetics and household goods. household appliances.

Olive oil prices have risen 150% in Spain over the past two years as a scorching drought in the south has hit the olive crop. Organized crime groups steal the oil to sell, said Ruben Navarro, CEO of the Tu Super supermarket chain, which operates 30 stores in Spain’s Andalusia region.

Since September, Tu Super has chained large 5 liter bottles of olive oil and locked them on the shelf to prevent theft.