‘Consumers deserve to know what they’re buying’: Essex police seize 67,000 bottles of fake wine
Around 90 pallets of counterfeit wine and Prosecco worth £500,000 were discovered in warehouses across Essex in a coordinated police sting last week. The head of the National Food Crime Unit stressed this kind of fraud is “not a victimless crime”.
A man has been arrested for conspiracy to defraud following the police seizure of 67,000 bottles of counterfeit wine and Prosecco across three warehouses in Essex and North London. The operation, which took place on 3 March, uncovered the stash, thought to have a retail value of half a million pounds.
The coordinated effort brought together different police and governing bodies including the Metropolitan Police, the North Regional Organised Crime Unit Gangs Partnership, Essex Trading Standards and the FSA’s Wine Inspection Team, in an attempt to stop the fake bottles from reaching consumers. Enfield Local Authority and Trading Standards and Epping Forest District Council were also involved in uncovering the crime.
“Seizing over 67,000 bottles of counterfeit product and making an arrest sends a strong message to those who seek to profit from deceiving consumers – we will take action,” said Andrew Quinn, head of the National Food Crime Unit, in an official statement.
“Food fraud is not a victimless crime. It undermines legitimate businesses and erodes consumer trust. In this case, the concern is one of authenticity and quality – consumers deserve to know that what they are buying is exactly what it claims to be.”
Quinn further revealed on LinkedIn that the investigation had required “close collaboration with our Italian counterparts”. db has requested more information on how the agencies of both countries worked together on the case, and will update this article accordingly.
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Misrepresentation
According to police reports, the arrest was made in relation to the “importation and distribution of counterfeit and misrepresented wine and Prosecco”, which may suggest wines were labelled as DOC or DOCG when they did not adhere to the corresponding standards.
Alternatively the wines may have been labelled as being from a particular region when they were in fact produced elsewhere. Last year, for example, a man was sentenced to 18 months in prison after carbonating hundreds of thousands of bottles of still wine from Spain and France and passing them off as Champagne. Speaking to court reporters, Chopin, from Aisne in northern France, said: “I made a mistake, I am ruined and I have nothing else to add.”
In the case of the Essex counterfeit wine bust, the arrested man has been released under investigation and according to police enquires are ongoing.
The drinks business has contacted the Wine Inspection Team at the Food Standards Agency for details on its contribution to the counterfeit wine seizure.
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