{"id":121893,"date":"2023-12-06T13:29:20","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T13:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/?p=121893"},"modified":"2023-12-06T13:29:20","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T13:29:20","slug":"chainsaw-wielding-olive-oil-gangs-chop-down-trees-as-260000l-of-fake-oil-seized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/world-news\/chainsaw-wielding-olive-oil-gangs-chop-down-trees-as-260000l-of-fake-oil-seized\/","title":{"rendered":"Chainsaw-wielding olive oil gangs chop down trees as 260,000l of fake oil seized"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Olive oil fakers are greasing the wheels of organised crime across Europe capitalising on soaring prices caused by forest fires and heavy rain wreaking havoc with the harvest.<\/p>\n

On Monday, police in Spain said they had intercepted an enormous shipment of 260,000 litres, 68,000 gallons, of ‘high quality’ oil that detectives said was actually ‘unfit for human consumption’.<\/p>\n

Some 11 people were seized in the sting, which also uncovered 91,000 euros worth of billing documents. And in Greece farmers of the precious yellow liquid have been forced to guard their groves from thieves wanting to steal the crop which has seen prices soaring.<\/p>\n

Gangs of chainsaw-wielding crooks have been chopping down ancient 150-year-old trees worth thousands of pounds and carting them off in trucks in the dead of night.<\/p>\n

READ MORE… <\/strong> Government’s Rwanda migrant plan doomed to fail, warns lawyer Mr Loophole<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The supply of the quintessentially Mediterranean product has become a battleground on the continent for gangs who are trying to take advantage of prices for the genuine product tripling since 2019.<\/p>\n

In Greece, Euronews reports 13 tonnes of counterfeit oil was discovered by police being peddled as sunflower oil labelled as olive oil. The fake cooking ingredient had been destined for Bulgaria.<\/p>\n

The news site said two men allegedly added colouring agents to the sunflower oil to try and pass it off as premium extra virgin olive oil.<\/p>\n

Spanish police said in October they had retrieved 91 tons of stolen olives in recent weeks. In February, six people were arrested in southern Greece for the theft of eight tons of olive oil in a series of warehouse break-ins over several weeks.<\/p>\n

In Italy the regional agricultural association in Bari, in the southern Puglia region, asked for police help after reports that 100 olive trees were destroyed or seriously damaged in a single incident last month.<\/p>\n

Spanish newspaper Clarin reports Europol, the EU’s police agency, said “Unfortunately, the counterfeiting of extra virgin olive oil is a common practice, so the fight against it is a law enforcement priority, especially in producer countries.<\/p>\n

Don’t miss… <\/strong>
Electric car catches fire after man tries to ‘warm up’ battery with a toaster[LATEST] <\/strong>
‘So what if they go bust?’ BBC faces furious calls for TV licence to be scrapped[LATEST] <\/strong>
‘Axis of evil’ Iran and Russia ‘team up’ vowing to launch ‘extensive agenda'[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n