Over one million litres of counterfeit drink has been seized in what has been the largest-ever crack down on fake food and drink in Europe. Interpol-Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency behind Operation Opson V, has been working with police, customs, national food regulatory bodies and partners from the private sector over the last four months in an attempt to stop the production and trafficking of fake food and drink in the continent.

The operation ran between November 2015 and February 2016 and involved 57 countries. Checks were carried out at shops, markets, airports, seaports and industrial estates. It is said that the operation captured enough alcohol to fill 12,000 baths.

In Greece, officers discovered three illicit factories producing counterfeit alcohol. Police seized equipment used in the manufacturing process including labels, caps and empty bottles in addition to more than 7,400 bottles of fake alcohol and counterfeit labels.

In the UK, authorities recovered nearly 10,000 litres of fake or adulterated alcohol including wine, whisky and vodka. In Burundi in East Africa, more than 36,000 litres of illicit alcohol were seized.

“Fake and dangerous food and drink threaten the health and safety of people around the world who are often unsuspectingly buying these potentially very dangerous goods,” said Michael Ellis, head of Interpol’s Trafficking in Illicit Goods unit, which coordinated activities between the world police body’s participating countries across the globe.

“With Operation Opson V resulting in more seizures than ever before, we must continue to build on these efforts to identify the criminal networks behind this activity whose only concern is making a profit, no matter what the cost to the public.”

A number of arrests were made worldwide throughout the operation and investigations are continuing.