Fraudsters busted distributing fake olive oil – Italian police seize $1 million worth of ‘extra virgin’ oil

An oil well that ends well.

Italian authorities have busted a network of fraudsters who were selling fake oil by the truckload. Police seized 42 tons of packaged “extra virgin” oil, worth $1 million.

On Monday, police in southern Italy raided 18 garages and warehouses in the Puglia region and confiscated the oil, some of which had already been packaged and ready to be sold, according to CNN.

Police discovered 71 tonnes of what they described as an oily substance in plastic tanks, as well as 623 litres of chlorophyll, an ingredient in extra virgin olive oil that the shady bandits were adding to cheaper oil.

They also found vans, computers, loading equipment, packaging materials and labels claiming the oil was “extra virgin” — even though it clearly was not, CNN said.

Authorities arrested seven people and charged them with criminal conspiracy, fraud and adulteration of food for sale.

Their investigation, which also uncovered nearly 200 bottles of suspected counterfeit champagne, began last September after police arrested 11 people in Italy and Spain and confiscated 12 barrels filled with 260,000 liters of adulterated olive oil, also known as non-virgin or extra.

While it may seem like a strange scam, authorities say cases of fake extra virgin olive oil have become increasingly common in recent years, the outlet reported.

Police attribute the phenomenon to both the popularity of the Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, and the effects of climate change, which has caused droughts in southern Europe, reducing production, the International Olive Council said.

Earlier this year, authorities raided 50 Roman restaurants and found they were passing off seed oil as extra virgin olive oil, CNN reported.