Police in Spain arrest 17 in raids on alleged saffron smugglers

Arrests follow two-year investigation into gang believed to be importing spice from Iran and selling it as prized Spanish variety

Police and customs officers in Spain have arrested 17 people and seized half a tonne of saffron after breaking up a gang that allegedly imported the spice from Iran, bulked it out and sold it as a much-prized Spanish variety.

The arrests came at the end of a two-year investigation that began when officers noticed that companies in and around Ciudad Real, 180km (112 miles) south of Madrid, were importing large quantities of Iranian saffron. Once in Spain, the spice was processed, dyed, packaged and branded as saffron from La Mancha, which has protected designation of origin status.