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Operation Opson is organised every year. The aim is to remove counterfeit and non-compliant food and drink products from the market and to dismantle the organised crime groups behind them.
The participating services (police, customs and national food control bodies) carry out checks in shops, markets, airports and seaports in order to detect and seize counterfeit or non-compliant food products that could seriously harm the health and safety of consumers.
A new OPSON XII operation targeting food fraud was carried out between December 2022 and April 2023. Coordinated by EUROPOL, 25 countries took part in this operation.
The operation in figures, seizures and activities :
8,000 tonnes of illicit products seized
6.5 million litres of mainly alcoholic drinks
400 controls
143 arrest warrants issued
168 search warrants executed
119 individuals reported to the judicial authorities
6 criminal networks dismantled
The main products seized, in order of quantity, were alcoholic beverages, cereals, grains and derived products, fruit, vegetables and pulses, sweet and confectionery products, meat and meat products, seafood, dairy products and food supplements and additives.
Among the frauds identified :
Wine :
In Spain, 3 individuals exported invert sugar-based products, which they presented as grape derivatives and concentrated grape juice. This manoeuvre enabled them to double or even triple their selling price and profits. The main export destinations were countries outside the EU, mainly South Africa. 2 tanks containing 1.08 tonnes of invert sugar with a retail value of €1.3 million were seized.
Trafficking in tainted food throughout the EU :
In Lithuania, a company was recycling spoiled or
