Bradford is at the heart of an international scam to make millions of pounds - out of 'doctored' spice.

Trading standards officers have launched raids in the city in a bid to wipe out the trade in saffron 'cut' with other substances.

The spice - commonly used in cooking and dyeing and originating from the stigma of the Crocus plant - has been deliberately tampered with by criminals, who stand to make millions of pounds over the sales.

Trading standards officers swooped after receiving tip-offs from a businessman in Spain claiming Bradford was a big market for unscrupulous dealers.

The fraudsters increase the weight of the saffron - which normally costs around £2,700 a pound - by using other parts of the crocus not normally included.

And public analyst Chris Hunt has discovered artificial colourings - including Sunset Yellow - in samples of the spice found in Bradford.

West Yorkshire Trading Standards officers who took samples of the tainted saffron say it has been sold in Bradford for as little as £277 a pound.

The officers say although it is about a tenth of the price of pure Saffron, the large amount of additives offers unscrupulous dealers the potential for big profits as they sell it on to unsuspecting traders.

They say the additives are not harmful - but deny customers true saffron.

Trading Standards officers are planning further swoops in Bradford as the investigation continues. Their trail to find the source hit a brick wall in Glasgow, where officers went to a building given as the address for an importing company and found it boarded up and empty.

Now the investigation has switched abroad - to look at links with Greece and Spain.

Trading Standards divisional manager Graham Hebblethwaite said: "A case like this could take a very long time because some of these places don't have trading standards organisations.

"The temptation to do this is there because there is the potential for very big money."

He said they had also informed the Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries to raise it as a general issue.

The bizarre probe began when a businessman rang Trading Standards from Alicante to say he was losing business because he had been told adulterated supplies were coming into the country and the Bradford area.

The businessman met trading standards officer Trevor Gray in a Bradford hotel to pass on information.

Mr Gray said today: "He was concerned because he had found examples in Bradford and had them tested.

"He mentioned a retailer in Batley and a wholesaler in Bradford.

"We took two samples in Batley and found one had been supplied by the Bradford wholesaler.

"He said he had obtained it in Dewsbury and from there the trail went to Glasgow, where the building was boarded up."

He said no-one had been prosecuted and the companies could not be blamed because the packages had been sealed.

The case is believed to be one of the first in the country to be followed up.

Mr Hunt said: "The presence of artificial colouring materials indicates that the samples were fraudulently sophisticated rather than simply being adulterated with stamens and styles at the time of harvest. It is the first time I have come across a case like this."

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