Investigators uncover group selling fake wine in Italy

Several European authorities have uncovered a group involved in counterfeiting French wine in Italy.

The investigation was led by the French Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale). It involved the Italian Carabinieri Corps (NAS Carabinieri) and Swiss Federal Police (Police Federale Swiss) with support from Europol and Eurojust.

Suspected criminals faked French red wine, charging up to €15,000 ($16,300) per bottle. The counterfeit wine was forged in Italy, then delivered to an Italian airport and exported for sale at market value worldwide by honest wine traders.

The operation led to six arrests and 16 searches in Paris, Turin, and Milan. Seizures included wine bottles from different counterfeited Grand Cru domains, wine stickers and wax products, ingredients to refill wine, machines to recap bottles, and documents relevant to the investigation.

By working with printing houses in Italy, the group recreated the corks and labels of famous French wineries. According to authorities, selling counterfeit wine generated profits of more than €2 million ($2.2 million).

An investigation started after suspicions of forgery reached French authorities, who discovered that the group had been operating from Italy.

Europol supported the investigation since 2021, coordinating operational activities, facilitating the exchange of information, and providing analytical support. 

Connection to the previous incident
In late September, in the provinces of Turin, Monza, Cuneo, Rome, and Bologna, the NAS Carabinieri of Turin undertook 16 searches against members of an organization suspected of counterfeiting and marketing bottles of high-quality wine produced by well-known French wineries.

A Russian national periodically asked for the creation of counterfeit labels and corks to be affixed to bottles of wine destined for the lucrative fine wine market. Often, labels were delivered to Milan Malpensa Airport and to Russian nationals who took them abroad to use in other markets.

Investigators established a link with a previous investigation supported by Europol targeting Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) wine counterfeiting. Connections were also found while investigating the manufacturers of caps and capsules and the label printers.

The first investigation, which closed in 2015, involved a Russian connected to the current probe. Investigators uncovered commercial transactions between Italy and Switzerland. Other bottles with similar signs of counterfeiting were then discovered.

Officials uncovered an international network counterfeiting luxurious wines. This led to the arrest of a Russian individual associated with two winemakers who were Italian nationals.

Since 2019, new counterfeits have appeared in Europe, especially in the Swiss and Italian markets. Inquiries showed that old fake bottles were sold alongside updated ones with copies of the new security features. 

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