In a four-month operation, the European Police Office (Europol) seized more than 3,600 tonnes and 9 million litres of dangerous food and beverages, and arrested 749 people, the agency said on Monday.

In the joint Interpol-Europol operation code-named Opson 7, in the period from December 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, more than 41,000 controls of food products were carried out in shops, in seaports and airports, and farms in 67 countries.

Opson (ancient Greek for “food”) is carried out every year since 2011, with more and more countries participating each year.

Nearly 3,620 tonnes and 9.7 million litres of substandard, potentially harmful food and beverages were seized, ranging from everyday products such as alcohol, mineral water, spices, seafood, and olive oil, to luxury products like caviar.

This year, 67 countries participated in the operation, including Croatia. In many countries the case is still ongoing. The final report on the result of the operation will be published in the next few months.