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Police raids in Milan, Turin, and Paris on October 14 led to the dismantling of a network that produced and sold fake French Grand Cru wines. This was announced by the European law enforcement agency Europol.
During the raids, large quantities of wine bottles from various Grand Cru wineries, labels, and wax products were seized. Additionally, the police found ingredients for refilling wine, machines for recorking bottles, luxury goods, and electronic devices worth 1.4 million euros. The gang produced fake French Grands Crus wines, which they sold at market prices of up to 15,000 euros, primarily in Italy and Switzerland. They are said to have made more than two million euros in profits. 100,000 euros in cash were seized.
The police discovered some similarities between the methods of the forgers and a previous case that was concluded in 2015. At Milan-Malpensa Airport, they arrested a 40-year-old Russian citizen who had already been convicted under a different identity for similar offenses in that older case. He and the other five suspects face charges of organized crime, forgery, fraud, illegal work, and money laundering. The investigation was led by the French Gendarmerie with the assistance of the Italian Carabinieri and the Swiss police. Since 2021, Europol has supported the coordination of investigations against the criminal network.
(al / Source: LRVF, decanter.com)