| Abstract: |
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. |
