They had devised a well-organized system to market counterfeit olive oil, passing it off as extra virgin olive oil, and distributed it widely. They were caught today, following a large-scale operation conducted by the Carabinieri.
Scenario of the new olive oil fraud Montechiari Palm where most of the 24 people registered in the register of suspects by the Carabinieri Agri-food Protection department of Messina, together with colleagues from Agrigento, on the orders of the Agrigento Public Prosecutor's Office which hypothesizes, in various capacities, the crimes of criminal conspiracy aimed at commercial fraud, money laundering, self-laundering and violation of excise duty legislation.
The searches conducted today were aimed at the probative seizure of documents and computer material from this organisation which was allegedly dedicated to Marketing of counterfeit oily substances, sold as extra virgin olive oil in all Sicilian provinces, throughout the country and also abroad.
The investigations would have allowed to outline the contours of an illicit activity that started in 2022 and is still ongoingThe defendants are accused of having found large quantities of oily substances which, through mixing with beta-carotene and copper chlorophyll, were made similar to extra virgin olive oil.
According to laboratory tests carried out by the Central Inspectorate for the Repression of Fraud of Masaf, the product thus obtained it was sold at low cost to commercial establishments, private individuals and food laboratoriesThe profits from the illegal activity were then allegedly "laundered" through a false invoicing system using individual businesses linked to the same suspects and formally operating in the agricultural products sector.
A further profile also emerges from the investigative framework: the use of agricultural fuel purchased at a reduced excise duty to refuel the vehicles used in the distribution of the oily substanceAccording to the reconstruction, the shipments took place on a daily basis to all the Sicilian provinces, with shipments also to the rest of Italy and to some foreign countries, including Germany.
Preliminary investigations are ongoing and continue under the coordination of the Agrigento Public Prosecutor's Office to fully reconstruct the facts and determine individual responsibilities. The operation, investigators emphasize, represents a further sign of the institutional attention paid to the olive oil sector and the protection of public health, as well as the Carabinieri's commitment to protecting consumers and businesses that operate in compliance with the regulations.
The interventions by the Carabinieri of the Messina Agri-Food Protection Department demonstrate that in Italy there is no room for those who don't play by the rules. Olive oil is one of our finest products that must be protected from those who exploit its name without delivering the quality guaranteed by our olive growers and millers with their hard work every day. Thus the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida, commenting on the operation.
"Italian agri-food is Made in Italy, and it's a brand that guarantees the distribution of value throughout the entire supply chain. This ability to create value cannot be allowed to be undermined.", concluded the minister.
