The confiscation was ordered by the judicial authorities in Trento. Nine people, including six Italian and three Austrian citizens, are currently being investigated for illegal waste trafficking and fraud. The barbecue briquettes were sold in various countries, including Austria.
False certifications
“This is a complex investigation that is unique in terms of health protection at the Italian level. We have uncovered an illegal trade and, through Eurojust, have opened an investigation channel to other European countries,” said Trento’s chief prosecutor, Sandro Raimondi, at a press conference on Tuesday. The barbecue briquettes were marketed in Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and other European countries with false certifications under two brand names. In Italy, the bags of briquettes were sold in the branches of two supermarket chains.
Made from “bad ash”
The briquettes were made in Croatia from “bad ash” that was produced during the production of synthesis gas, it was said. The product is said to contain increased levels of a type of hydrocarbon and increased levels of dioxin and is therefore unsuitable for grilling food, according to the Carabinieri.
The production and trade of the barbecue briquettes is said to have taken place through an international network operating in South Tyrol, Austria, Germany, Croatia, Serbia and Switzerland. The investigation began in 2022 after a truck with Croatian license plates was stopped in Italy. The truck was transporting ash produced by burning wood and wood chips from two thermal power plants in South Tyrol. Further investigations revealed that the ash, which contains hydrocarbons and dioxin, was not treated as waste to be disposed of, but was used through chemical processing to produce barbecue briquettes in two plants in Croatia and Serbia.
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