Russian police said Tuesday they had caught a global gang that was illegally producing cheese worth 3 billion rubles ($30 million/27 million euros).
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Police seized 470 tons of the products, as well as label makers and “documents proving illegal activity”, during more than a dozen raids on warehouses, offices and residences apparently used by the group, according to a statement posted on the Interior Ministry’s website.
The cheese used rennet that was imported from the West, after Moscow imposed sanctions on the product.
The cheese was then given counterfeit labels and sold in supermarkets in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Russian President Vladimir Putin banned food imports from the U.S. and the European Union last year, as retaliation for western sanctions against Russia for its role in Ukraine.
A specialist controls the process of cheese making at John Kopiski’s farm in Krutovo village, east of Moscow.
Undeterred, Russia’s general prosecutor on Tuesday launched a hotline to allow citizens to report illicit Western cheeses and pates. In late July, police reported that they had apprehended a man attempting to drive from Poland to the Russian province of Kaliningrad with 460 kilograms of banned cheese crammed into the backseat and trunk of his auto.
About two weeks ago, tonnes of cheese, fruits and other goods were either burned or buried on the orders of Mr Putin.
Facing a dearth of traditionally imported delicacies, local producers have stepped in to fill some of the gaps.
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The import ban was introduced against countries that targeted Russian Federation with sanctions over Moscow’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. If convicted, six suspects face up to a decade behind bars.
