Dozens of French gang members may be whining after they were caught by police for allegedly producing hundreds of thousands of bottles of fake Bordeaux wine, prosecutors said on Friday.
About 20 people were arrested on Monday during an operation in seven different areas of France, three of whom were charged with organized fraud, counterfeiting, and money laundering. The arrests stem from a criminal investigation that started in September 2021 after officers investigating drug dealing in the southwestern French region found printing machinery used to create labels for the bottles, according to the Guardian.
“If the allegations are proven, we hope that the culprits will be heavily punished because these practices undermine the image of Bordeaux wines and those who work properly and respect the rules,” the local wine industry body told AFP.
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A focal point of the investigation is a winemaker and broker near Bordeaux who was buying low-grade wine from nearby areas, such as Spain, then bottling it as a more expensive local product, according to a statement from the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office. “Major orders” were placed for the wine, which was “destined for supermarkets and foreign countries,” and the process of bottling the vino was conducted at night to avoid detection, the statement added.
Cheaper French wine passing off as a more luxurious drink is not uncommon in the country. Police busted a Bordeaux wine merchant, Francois-Marie Marret, who was blending poor-quality wine with high-end Saint-Emilions, Lalande-de-Pomerols, and Listrac-Medocs to sell to major supermarkets in 2016. He was given a prison sentence and a fine of 8 million euros, equal to $8,343,280.
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The Ministry of the Interior, which supervises French police forces, has not responded to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
