Spanish police this week arrested 19 people allegedly linked to a complex network engaged in multi-million euro olive oil fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.
According to Diaro Jaén, the police – who swooped on Wednesday after a year-long probe by a Madrid-based economic crime unit – believe that companies involved in the ‘ring’ had been selling other, lower quality vegetable oils as extra virgin.The paper reported that most of those arrested were business owners or managers of olive oil mills in various parts of the province of Jaén.
Among them was businessman Enrique Fuentes Ibáñez, who already risks a 13-year jail sentence in the separate Iniosa case. In that case, Spanish prosecutors allege he was the brains behind an alleged fraud in which more than 200 olive growers in Jaén and Córdoba delivered their 2001 and 2002 olive harvests to a company which later declared bankruptcy, leaving them unpaid.
Two of his sons were said to be among the 19 arrested this week, all of whom have since been charged and released pending trial. More arrests have been tipped.
The newspaper said it was believed that “those arrested were part of a corporate network involving ‘straw men’, shell companies and tax havens” that also allegedly evaded millions in taxes.
Related Articles
Jul. 18, 2024
Details Emerge in Seizure of Counterfeit Olive Oil in Puglia
The Italian olive oil sector hailed the raid as proof that authorities can crack down on olive oil fraud while warning that a lack of consumer awareness allows such crimes to persist.
Dec. 5, 2024
An Accusation of Widespread Fraud Sparks Controversy in Spain
The general secretary of the giant Spanish cooperative Dcoop accused bottlers of selling sunflower oil blends labeled as olive oil.
Nov. 4, 2024
Italy Mints Special Labels for Its PDO and PGI Olive Oils
The Italian Polygraphic Institute and State Mint craft the labels to guarantee the traceability of extra virgin olive oils with geographical indications.
Aug. 26, 2024
Italian Police Official Explains How Olive Oil Fraud Works
As the ways in which olive oil fraud is perpetrated have evolved, law enforcement has worked hard to keep up.
Mar. 19, 2024
Growers in Croatia Await Contest Results
Industry advocates and producers see the NYIOOC as a way to showcase Croatia's quality and combat adulteration and fraud.
Mar. 10, 2024
Researchers Use Ultrasound to Detect Adulterated Olive Oil
They could detect extra virgin olive oil adulterated with as little as one percent sunflower or refined olive oil.
Apr. 9, 2024
Discovery of Adulterated Olive Oil Kindles Debate Over Testing in Northern Cyprus
High olive oil prices and an import ban by the de facto state have created fertile ground for unscrupulous actor’s in the local market.