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Over 2,500 tons of
counterfeit alcohol, dietary supplements and fake, life-threatening food, from
seafood to eggs and mozzarella, have been seized in 47 countries as part of an
Interpol-Europol joint operation. Hazardous food was seized
in seaports, airports, markets and shops between December 2014 and January
2015. So-called "Operation Opson IV" resulted in a number of arrests,
and investigations are ongoing.
Italian officials seized
31 tonnes of seafood being sold as fresh, but which had been frozen before
being spiced up with a chemical mix of citric acid, phosphate and hydrogen
peroxide to make it look “freshly caught," according to Interpol.
Egyptian authorities
seized 35 tonnes of fake butter and dismantled a factory producing counterfeit
tea, Interpol said.
Some 85 tonnes of meat
illegally imported into Thailand - without testing to ensure compliance with
health and safety regulations - were destroyed. Police also crippled a criminal
network producing fake whisky and seized nearly 20,000 liters of illegally
distilled alcohol.
Counterfeit alcohol was
among the most-seized products, according to Interpol. In the UK, a plant
making fake brand-name vodka was raided when officers unearthed over 20,000
empty bottles ready for filling, and hundreds of empty five-liter antifreeze
containers used for manufacture.
An illegal slaughterhouse was shut down in Hungary, where officials also seized a car modified with hidden compartments to smuggle fake alcohol.
An illegal slaughterhouse was shut down in Hungary, where officials also seized a car modified with hidden compartments to smuggle fake alcohol.
An investigation is
underway in Norway following the seizure of bogus water bottles.
The US Food and Drugs
Administration focused efforts on dietary supplements sent by mail, with
inspections at Los Angeles Airport resulting in the seizure of illicit
substances.
“Fake and sub-standard food and drink pose a real threat to health and safety. People are at serious risk and in some cases dying because of the greed of criminals whose sole concern is to make money,” head of Interpol’s Trafficking in Illicit Goods and Counterfeiting unit, Michael Ellis, said.
“Fake and sub-standard food and drink pose a real threat to health and safety. People are at serious risk and in some cases dying because of the greed of criminals whose sole concern is to make money,” head of Interpol’s Trafficking in Illicit Goods and Counterfeiting unit, Michael Ellis, said.
The WHO estimates that
worldwide foodborne and waterborne diseases kill about 2.2 million people
annually.
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