Operation 'Looks like it, but isn't' targets beverage counterfeiters in São Paulo and Paraná.

The São Paulo Civil Police launched a new phase of Operation "Looks Like It, But Isn't" this Thursday morning, targeting beverage counterfeiters . The operation follows the methanol crisis that has spread throughout the country.

In Thursday's operation, two people were arrested in the act. In addition, agents are executing 17 search and seizure warrants in two states: São Paulo and Paraná. The targets of the operation are spread across five cities in São Paulo (Americana, Marília, Taquaritinga, Sertãozinho, and Matão) and one in the interior of Paraná (Londrina). The identities of those arrested and the targets have not been revealed.

In a statement, the São Paulo Police limited themselves to saying that the operation combats the counterfeiting of beverages. The statement also briefly mentions the result of the previous phase of the same operation , when three people were arrested.

Speaking to the website g1 , Detective Alexandre Bento, who is coordinating the operation, said that the criminal organization that counterfeited beverages operated with a complex structure, "characterized by the division of tasks among those investigated, and bottled inferior quality beverages in bottles of famous brands." According to the officer, the objective was "to profit from the counterfeiting and illegal sale of beverages."

59 cases of poisoning

The methanol crisis , which triggered the operations, has already claimed 15 victims, nine of them in São Paulo. Three other deaths occurred in Paraná and three more in Pernambuco. The data comes from the Ministry of Health, which also confirms 59 cases of poisoning in the country and 45 other suspected cases under investigation.