The Spanish Guardia Civil has excavated an international network of wine counterfeiters with Operation Isolu. The case involves around 42 million litres of counterfeit wine and distillates with a total value of around 100 million euros. As reported by the "Weinwirtschaft", the network is to include around 60 companies in the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, France, Moldova and Russia. Several accused have been arrested.
The focus of the operation was the city of Ciudad Real in the region of Mancha. This is said to have been the center of the counterfeiters. The accused are said to have made cheap wine substitutes from isoglucose produced in the Netherlands together with chemical additives instead of grape must. The counterfeiters also obtained the necessary rectified alcohol from the Netherlands. According to Spanish media, they had added chemical compounds to the liquid in wineries, which are also produced during the fermentation of wine.
According to the Spanish media, the deployment of the national police is questioning the inactivity of the regional police and local authorities. The accusations against the accused have been known for a long time.
(uka)