POLICE have busted a giant swindle involving ham exports with bogus health seals that netted a company over €17 million in five years.
Six people have been arrested by the Policia Nacional in the Madrid region towns of Leganes and Sesena.
They all held positions in a meat-cutting firm on a Leganes industrial estate where they usurped the identity of a genuine company by using their seals and labelling on their products.
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The firm that owned the legal seal was totally unaware of the long-standing fraud, as the bogus-labelled ham- that had not passed stringent health checks- was distributed to customers at home and abroad.
The Policia Nacional in Madrid estimate that the swindlers made more than €17 million and started looking into their company last November.
Labour and health inspectors joined the investigation to carry out a raid on the Leganes warehouse.
Health officials immediately destroyed 10 pallets of ham that were stored in cold rooms due to irregularities over food preservation.
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Six people have been charged with fraud, falsifying documents, and belonging to a criminal gang.