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CRIME

Italian police bust gang selling fake ‘Super Tuscan’ wines

Police in Florence have seized some 4,000 bottles of counterfeit Tuscan wine destined for buyers abroad.

Italian police bust gang selling fake 'Super Tuscan' wines
Police in Florence with the haul of counterfeit wine. Photo: Guardia di Finanza/Italian Financial Police
Police from Italy's financial crimes unit uncovered an international gang believed to have been producing and selling convincing copies of one of Italy’s top wines, Bolgheri Sassicaia, which costs up to £320 a bottle.
 
As part of operation ‘Bad Tuscan’, police arrested two suspects, a father and son, and 11 more people are under investigation.
 
They also confiscated 700 cases of wine, for a total of 4,200 bottles. 
 
 
The 2010 and 2015 vintages, celebrated by Italian and international critics, were the most prevalent among the fakes..
 
The operation is believed to have been worth around 400,000 per month.
 
Investigators said the counterfeit wine had come not from Tuscany but from Sicily, while the bottles were from Turkey, and the labels and wooden boxes were made in Bulgaria.
 
 
The two arrested, who come from the Milan area, had paid meticulous attention to detail when producing the fakes.
 
They had been able to make a convincing copy of a special anti-counterfeiting hologram printed on the original wine labels, police said.
 
Even the tissue paper used in the packaging had the same weight, 22 grams, as the original one, reports Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.
 
 
“The investigation began by chance when two members of the Guardia di Finanza [financial police], came upon a case of the fake wine on a street in Empoli, Tuscany, which had probably fallen from a truck,” Giuseppe Creazzo, chief prosecutor in Florence, said at a press conference.
 
“In the case was a note with two mobile phone numbers, which set off the investigation and led to the arrest of two individuals who had carried out this deception with meticulous care.”
 
“Fortunately, we managed to block the sale of this wine, one of the most famous in Italy and the world, on the international market.”
 
 
According to investigators, several customers, including some from China, Korea and Russia, had already ordered about 1,000 cases at about 70 percent less than the cost of the original.
 
One of the fraudsters intercepted by police reportedly said of the wine: “For goodness sake, it's even good, but I have to give it to people who don't know any better.”
 
 
Bolgheri Sassicaia, a bordeaux-style red wine made by one producer in the Tuscan Maremma, is considered by experts to be one of Italy’s – and the world’s – best wines.
 
A case of 1985 Sassicaia sold for $18,375 (£14,200) at auction at a Sotheby’s auction in New York in 2015.
 
Tuscan wines and other produce, and “Made in Italy” products in general, are commonly counterfeited both in Italy and beyond at a high cost to Italian businesses.

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TERRORISM

Terror alerts: Should I be worried about travelling to Italy?

Italy is on its highest-level terror alert and ministers have warned the public to be vigilant over the Easter holidays - so is there cause for concern if you're planning to travel in the country?

Terror alerts: Should I be worried about travelling to Italy?

Italian authorities agreed on Monday to increase anti-terrorism monitoring ahead of the Easter holidays, with more surveillance to be carried out at popular tourist spots and at “sensitive sites”.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had stressed to the public on Sunday that Italy faced “no concrete risk” at the moment, and said the country’s security and law enforcement services were “always on the alert to prevent any attack.”

READ ALSO: Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Nevertheless, he warned that “during the Easter holidays you will need to be very careful.”

Italy has been on its highest-level terror alert since October 2023 following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, meaning the official alert level could not be raised any further on Monday.

The plan for increased surveillance and the warnings to the public in Italy came following the terrorist attack at a concert hall in Moscow on Friday where armed men opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing at least 133 people.

Ministers said that terror plots on this scale, organised by groups, “would be intercepted sooner in Italy” and said the main terror threat Italy faced at the moment was mainly from “lone wolves”.

He was referring to the fact that recent deadly attacks in Europe have often been carried out by a single perpetrator, not affiliated to a terrorist organisation. The profile of attackers is often isolated young men who have become radicalised.

Unlike most other major European countries, Italy has not so far suffered any deadly attacks at the hands of jihadist militants.

Experts have suggested that Italy has been able to prevent attacks partly due to lessons learned from anti-mafia policing, and that it also has a lower number of citizens at risk of radicalisation than countries like the UK or France – and therefore fewer suspects to watch.

The country arrests dozens of suspects every year on terrorism charges following surveillance operations. Earlier in March, three men of Palestinian origin were arrested in the Abruzzo town of l’Aquila, alleged to be involved in an organised terror plot.

In 2023, at least 56 foreign nationals were deported from Italy after facing terror-related charges.

Italy is generally seen as being at a lower risk of being hit by a major terror attack than some neighbouring countries. So what exactly does the raised alert level mean for people in the country?

Heightened security

While much of Italy’s counter-terrorism work goes on behind the scenes, there will be increased police and military patrols over Easter in busy public places deemed “sensitive”, including shopping centres and places of worship.

The most visible manifestation of the heightened security alert in Italy is the armed soldiers on patrol outside government buildings, tourist attractions, airports, train stations, central squares and in other busy public areas.

Unlike in some other European countries, Italy’s airports do not regularly experience bomb hoaxes and other threats. While no additional security checks for passengers are being introduced, security is likely to remain tight at Italian airports this Easter, as at all European transport hubs.

If you’re visiting a major tourist attraction over Easter or attending any type of large public event, expect a high level of security at the door.

Travel advice

So far, no country has warned its nationals against visiting Italy – the US State Department still lists the alert level for Italy as Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution, which has seen no change since July 2023. 

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