Greek police have arrested two men for olive oil fraud. The couple, an 80-year-old man and his 36-year-old son, were arrested in Thessaloniki. Police reported that more than 13,000 liters of sunflower oil, which was supposed to be olive oil, were seized.

The couple bought thousands of liters of sunflower oil in Bulgaria and then added a dye to make the oil look like olive oil. When one of the warehouses was raided, cans containing the oil were found with labels reading “extra virgin olive oil.” The posters showed several areas in Greece where the oil was supposed to come from.

Police posted a video of the discovery on YouTube:

The police found, among other things, 6,644 liters of modified oil in cans with fake labels, as well as 6,500 liters of sunflower oil that still needs to be decanted and thousands of empty cans. Research is still being conducted on which tincture was used and how much oil may end up on the market.

Due to the severe drought this summer, especially in Spain, the price of olive oil has risen sharply in recent months. Spain is the largest producer of olive oil. About 40 percent of olive oil comes from the country. The price of extra virgin olive oil has almost tripled compared to last year.

This led to thieves stealing large quantities of oil and olives in several regions with many olive groves in Italy, France and Spain. There are also rogue traders who dilute their olive oil with cheaper oils.