In what is considered the largest-ever seizure of fake food and beverages, a joint Interpol and Europol public health and safety operation netted more than 11,000 tonnes (about 11,000 US tons) and 1 million liters of food and drink in 57 countries.
Dubbed “Operation Opson V,” last month’s haul included Sundanese sugar contaminated with fertilizer and Italian olives painted with copper sulphate solutions to enhance color. Other products collected were thousands of bottles of fake alcohol at three illicit factories in Greece. Police seized the alcohol along with the equipment used in the manufacturing process to make labels, caps and empty bottles. Fake alcohol was also seized in the UK and Burundi.