A network that sold moonshine from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico broke up in Italy

A network that sold illegal alcohol in Italy from Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico and Colombia has been dismantled following a police operation in the cities of Bergamo and Como (north) in which more than 4,500 bottles of “smuggled” liquor were intercepted, the Finance Guard (financial police) reported Saturday.

In addition to alcohol, some counterfeit items (including protective masks with illegal representations of the Disney and Marvel brands) and half a ton of spoiled food products were intercepted, the financial police explained in a statement.

The agents succeeded in “dismantling a fraudulent system, consisting of the clandestine introduction of alcoholic beverages from abroad through unauthorized channels, preventing, in particular, storage in facilities authorized to manufacture, transform, preserve, receive or send goods subject to excise duty”.

Among the seized goods were whisky, tequila, rum, vodka and beer, and the importation of these illegal products, mainly produced in Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico and Colombia, was carried out in total tax evasion, the police added.

In total, police operations have led to the seizure of 1,540 bottles of alcohol and spirits evaded from the payment of excise duties and the fraudulent sale of more than 3,000 other bottles, as well as the interception for their immediate destruction of about half a ton of bad food products preserved, including poultry, fish, spices and flour.

The investigation has also led to the prosecutor's offices in Como and Bergamo reporting the legal representative of the company, of Peruvian nationality, for theft of payment and payment of the excise duty on alcoholic beverages, forgery, receipt of stolen goods, employment of illegal workers on the territory of the State and poor preservation of foodstuffs, as the main infringements.

(With information from EFE)

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