Fish stolen from farms in the Gulf of Oristano and resold to the owners of some restaurants. Without traceability information and often poorly preserved , even to the detriment of the consumers themselves.
The owners of four restaurants in the Province are being investigated for receiving and using food of illicit origin, untraceable and in poor condition . The businesses were searched by the Police in collaboration with the Hygiene and Health Prevention Service of the ASL.
The investigation, coordinated by the Oristano Public Prosecutor's Office and conducted by the Flying Squad in collaboration with the Port Authority, began a few months ago, with the arrest in flagrante delicto of two people responsible for the theft of a large quantity of mussels and other fish products to the detriment of some farms in the Gulf .
Immediately the investigators, after having identified and reported two accomplices of the arrested, ascertained that the theft of that night was not an isolated episode , but was part of a large criminal activity that had been going on for some time, with the complicity of the restaurateurs. A flourishing black market of fish resale, then used in renowned catering businesses .
The owners of the businesses in fact contacted their illegal dealers on a weekly basis, organizing the purchase and sale of sea bream, sea bass, mullet, mussels, clams and razor clams . In huge quantities and in contempt of the rules on traceability and food hygiene. In fact, the fish was often purchased already in a poor state of preservation and was then administered to unsuspecting customers, putting their safety at risk.
The searches confirmed the investigators' hypotheses and led to the seizure of large quantities of food. Mostly fish, but not only. Also meat and cured meats poorly preserved, untraceable and even expired. But ready to be administered to customers .
A total of over 200 kilos of food, 120 kilos of fish and 80 kilos of meat were seized. In addition to the criminal charges, there are administrative ones: we are talking about several thousand euros for each restaurateur, with the businesses that risk a long closure.
