11 held as police smash virgin olive oil fraud

POLICE have arrested 11 people after breaking up an international gang accused of passing off cheap olive oils as virgin and extra virgin.

-  Maria Ortega and Richard Ashmore

A joint Italian and Spanish operation intercepted a shipment of 68,000 gallons, which detectives said was unfit for human consumption.

The crackdown also uncovered nearly £80,000 of billing documents. It was prompted by extreme environmental conditions, such as droughts, hitting oil production.

These factors have raised the expenses associated with olive oil, leading to a decline in global output for the second consecutive year.