Moscow police raided a business last week to shut down production and online sale of allegedly counterfeit motor oils.
The economic security and anticorruption unit of the Moscow Ministry of Internal Affairs discovered about 13,000 liters of counterfeit motor oils, packed and ready for shipping. Police estimated the worth of the products at 1.2 million rubles ($20,400).
During the operation, we found canisters and barrels emblazoned with the brand names of several well-known motor oil producers, Irina Volk, the police spokesperson, said in a June 21 news release. Operatives also discovered 7,000 empty canisters and barrels of different sizes, labels with logo types of a dozen of companies, devices for plumbing and marking.
The police department said it learned of at least two instances when the company sold the counterfeited oils online, amounting to more than 2,000 liters total. After the appropriate chemical analyses were done, it is confirmed that the confiscated content doesnt correspond with those brands declared on the canisters.
The Moscow police website shows video footage of security operatives raiding the building and revealing a storage area full of barrels and containers of various sizes. The brand names were blurred.
The police filed criminal charges against four individuals, alleging they organized the criminal ring for production of fake motor oils. One has a history of past court convictions.
Courtesy of Moscow Ministry of Internal Affairs