The Civil Guard has detected 19 crimes against products with a designation of origin within the framework of the Delta-India operation, in which almost 3,000 hams and shoulders have been seized for food fraud in Huelva and more than 5,000 liters of alcoholic beverages in Alicante.
After carrying out 2,800 inspections in establishments and means of transport, the armed institute has also investigated 202 infractions against products with protected designations of origin and geographical indications so far in 2023 and 17 people for crimes against the market and consumers, against industrial property and food fraud.
This is the Delta-India operation, the General Directorate of the Civil Guard reported this Wednesday in a statement, whose objective is to guarantee the veracity of the information on the food or beverage products that the consumer purchases.
In it, several ‘modus operandi’ have been identified: falsification of documents for the importation of substandard products or non-compliance with existing legal requirements in Spain and falsification of stamped effects or seals on the containers themselves.
Among the frauds related to food, they recognize their own qualitative characteristics related to their geographical area of origin or manufacture, wine, Iberian pork products and alcoholic beverages.
The Civil Guard has stressed that the Delta-India operation seeks to defend “the rights of farmers and producers with equitable income based on the differentiated quality of specific products, thereby allowing the economy of rural areas, many of them in danger of depopulation, generate employment and establish population in rural areas”.
The armed institute highlights three actions by the commands of Huelva, Alicante and Toledo.
In Huelva, several alleged crimes of food fraud have been detected with cured Iberian pork products. This police investigation began in February 2022.
The criminal organization had been active for a few years in the Sierra de Huelva and was dedicated to the fraudulent sale of hams and shoulders, manipulating the labeling of origin of the pieces to relabel it and sell the product under its own brand.
56,176 kilos and 2,998 pieces of hams and shoulders have been seized after detecting food fraud in products with irregularities in production, labeling and marketing.
For its part, in the Alicante command, a warehouse has been located in which different products were illegally adulterated, especially flavored wine-based drinks purchased from legal manufacturers.
In this winery, different aromatic essences and sugar were added to give them a flavor and smell similar to other alcoholic beverages such as vermouth, muscatel and mistela.
There are two people under investigation and 5,571 liters of different alcoholic beverages and 1,950 kilos of honey have been seized.
Finally, the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) of the Toledo Command has investigated the manager of a cooperative for a crime against industrial property for the production and sale to the public of wine labeled with the designation of origin “La Mancha” without being registered or possessing authorization of the aforementioned protected designation of origin.
25,000 labels, 29,000 back labels and 7,200 capsules with the symbology of the “D.O.P. La Mancha” have been seized.