The Civil Guard concludes the investigation of the listerioris with six detainees and two investigated

Two of the detainees are in provisional detention without bail

Those investigated knew the first positive in listeria since the end of 2018 and did not communicate it to the authorities

The first outbreak of intoxication occurred on August 5 of this year, although it was not detected until 15 days later

The Civil Guard has concluded the open investigation after the cases of listeriosis with a total of eight people investigated. Of these eight investigated, six of them have been arrested. Two of the detainees are in provisional detention without bail.

The investigation of the SEPRONA of the Civil Guard, in coordination with EUROPOL, has determined that those responsible for the companies involved knew the presence of listeria in their products since the end of last year.
The researchers maintain that at least three of those investigated knew that a lot labeled December 20, 2018 had tested positive for listeria. Those responsible for the company did not inform the competent authorities of this result. Nor has the withdrawal of these affected products or their destruction been proven. This first batch would be the cause of several episodes of poisoning in the province of Huelva.
The information collected in the records – of family businesses and domiciles – confirmed this hypothesis and expanded the investigation with the appearance of new indications. The number of respondents then increased to eight.
A total of 17 tons of products that are being incinerated in a cement plant in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) are intervened.

Monocy operation

From the initial analysis of the health alert, it was found that the first outbreak of poisoning occurred on August 5 of this year in the province of Seville, although the first listeria positives were not detected until August 20.
Initiated the investigation, civil guards of SEPRONA analyze aspects such as traceability, elaboration, lot, sanitary registry or expiration date, and observe that the sanitary alert corresponds to the meat products of the investigated company. Those responsible for this company hid that they produced and packaged white label products for another company, which the latter sold as its own.
One of the fundamental aspects of the research has been the study carried out by technical personnel of the National Center for Microbiology of the Carlos III Institute of Majadahonda (Madrid), on the strain that generates the outbreak. This report links the strain found in the facilities investigated with the processed products and the 193 intoxicated people.
In this context, lHeadship of SEPRONA, participates as a national contact point within the European Food Fraud Network, managed nationally by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

At international level

Although the activity of the companies investigated focused on Spain, four members of a German family were intoxicated, as was an English citizen who was in France. Since these international connections exist, the Civil Guard has had the collaboration of EUROPOL in the home registries, as well as in the analysis of communications.

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