Law enforcement agencies and food regulation agencies seized 259,012 packs of drinks and 11,566,958 pounds, EUROPOL, OLAF, DG Sante and 31 Earths across Europe and wider, together with private sector food producers.
During the 14th edition of OPSON operation, the following results were recorded: 631 persons reported to the judicial bodies; The 101 arrest order was released; 13 organized criminal groups were broken; The goods worth about 95 million euros were seized; 31,165 checks and inspections were performed.
Expired goods again included in the supply chain
One of the main trends identified this year is the infiltration of organized criminal groups in waste disposal companies with the intention of reaching food that expired, which awaits destruction, is stated inEUROPOLA PRESENTATION.
“Criminals then remove the original duration of the solvents and print new days, they are then reinforced, but often represent health risk, as a criminal modus, the practice of re-labeling food Expired Shelf life is not entirely new, but its current volume is unprecedented, “they warn from Europol.
Olive oil and wine in the center of fraud
However, the fraud range in the food and drink sector is not limited only to re-printing false expiration date. Food and beverage forgery and abuse of geographical bookmarks include among the most common fraudulent tactics. As for counterfeit and miscalculated food, olive oil and wine With a protected designation of origin remain strongly affected product types.
In addition, the authorities spot several cases of sales Meat or meat products Restaurants or consumers despite being stored in poor conditions or for slaughterhouses that did not comply with legal and necessary hygienic standards. Similar modes of work were also observed with seafood (eg shellfish), which were no longer suitable for consumption, but still sold.
Checks from raw materials to finished product
Fraud with food and drinks represent a significant and serious area of crime that needs to be paid to the fight at the national and international level. OPSON OPSON has been established with the aim of protecting public health and safety throughout the EU, Europol said.
The list of food products and drinks withdrawn from the market includes a wide range. Authorities seized basic groceries such as Fruit, vegetables, poultry, meat, meat products and seafood. A list of food products also includes Sweets, fats and oils, with a special focus on olive oil. In addition, during OPSON XIV were processed and Dietary supplements and additives.
Operating details of surgery
Europol was coordinated by OPSON XIV and supported many individual cases by sending experts to the mobile offices on action days. During these verification and raids, on-site experts could provide an analytical and intelligence support to the national authorities. Moreover, Europol organized operational meetings for spin-off cases. With hundreds of individual investigations and checks conducted by police, customs and national food regulatory bodies in cooperation with private sector partners, several of them pointed out as examples that need to be prominent in detail.
Italy
Investigation Unit for the Fight Procurement and Public Health of Carabiniera (Nuclei Antisophistazione Ei Dei Carabinieri, us) has led to the issuance of arrest orders Seven horse breeders and truck drivers. They were part of a criminal organization that acted in Umbria and Apulia, which secretly slaughtered horses treated with pharmaceutical products, which was a significant risk for public health. In addition, the authorities discovered and seized the secret slaughter facility on the farm, along with a truck that contained parts of illegally slaughtered animals.
Portugal
Authoridade De Segurça Alimentar e Económica – ASAE) has spent inspection in the northern part of the country, which led to Detects and breaking illegal slaughter. The place did not have adequate technical, functional and hygienic conditions, while the meat of different animal species are distributed to restaurants and butchers without mandatory health reviews. This practice was a significant risk for public health. As a result, criminal proceedings were initiated, and the suspect was arrested. Authorities seized 33 slaughtered animals, 159 sheep and goat, approximately 200 kg of entrails, slaughter instruments and two laptops. In order to insure public safety, slaughtered animals were sent to a legal approved by-products unit to prevent their entry into the human food chain.
Spain
In the operation published this summer, the Civil Police Protection Service (Guardia Civil Police (Portuguese Directorate for Economic and Food Safety, as well as the Maritime Police, with the support of europolic experts for ecological crime, smashed a criminal network that has profited from illegally caught and contaminated shells. The operation resulted in 11 arrests and seized over 7 tons of shells. Shellfish, caught from Rijeka Tajo, distributed across Portugal, Spain, France and Italy, presenting a significant health risk for consumers. Investigators estimate that the criminal modus operandi generated weekly profits up to 2.5 million euros. In addition to crimes such as Environmental crime, money laundering, document fraud and health fraud, there are also elements of trafficking and working exploitation in illegal fishing.
In the second surgery, Guardia Civilian researched the company that misvalged bananas from Madeira as bananas From the Canary Islands with a protected geographical mark. Since this company used counterfeit customs documents for imports, this operation has led to an investigation of one person due to alleged violations related to geographical markings, market deception and document forgery. It was found that approximately 2,000 tons of bananas were improperly placed on the market as banana from the Canary Islands.
Georgia
The investigative service of the Ministry of Finance Georgia revealed the operation of smuggling of goods that did not succumb to excises. Two foreign nationals of Georgia were detained due to the transport of large amounts of undeclared, non-paradise excises Alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and other goods through the customs border of Georgia. They used false customs declarations and transferred goods to another vehicle for further transport and sales. The value of seized goods is estimated on over 73,000 euros (230,000 gel).
(Type / Source: N1 / photo: Europol)
