Olive Oil Scandal Unearthed: International Fraud Ring Dismantled in Spain and Italy

Law enforcement agencies in Spain and Italy, including the Guardia Civil, carabinieri, and Europol, have dismantled an international gang involved in a large-scale olive oil adulteration scheme. Eleven individuals have been arrested, and over 5,000 liters of counterfeit olive oil have been seized.

Investigations began when Guardia Civil officers discovered anomalies in a lorry transporting olive oil in Ciudad Real. The operation involved companies in Spain and Italy, where lower-grade oils were manipulated, mixed with higher-quality oils, and falsely documented for sale as virgin and extra virgin olive oil.

In Spain, the gang utilized a company associated with acquiring lower-grade oils to alter their quality and sell them fraudulently. They mixed cloudy oils with better-quality olive oil, adjusting fat levels to meet market standards while avoiding proper registration.

The carabinieri uncovered a similar operation involving two significant oil-processing companies in Italy. The joint efforts led to eight simultaneous searches, resulting in the arrest of 11 individuals, the seizure of over 5,200 liters of counterfeit olive oil, €91,000 in cash, and the blocking of multiple bank accounts.

This crackdown on olive oil fraud comes at a time when olive oil prices remain high due to adverse weather conditions affecting European harvests for the second consecutive year. Global production is expected to fall to 2.4 million tonnes, creating concerns about meeting the global demand of approximately 3 million tonnes.

Spain, the world’s largest olive oil producer, faces challenges with its production as drought and extreme heatwaves have impacted olive crops. This follows a pattern of criminal activity in the Spanish culinary industry, with a previous incident involving saffron fraud in May 2021.