World · Europe · 2 hrs ago
Man on trial over alleged Zuegg jam poisoning extortion attempt
A 51-year-old man from Trieste is on trial in Verona over alleged extortion attempts against food companies.
Prosecutors say he demanded €100,000 from Zuegg, a fruit-processing company based in Verona, and threatened to put contaminated jam on supermarket shelves.
He sent emails and a video showing a jar being contaminated with thallium sulfate at a supermarket in Val di Fassa, in Trentino.
Zuegg reported the threats and withdrew products as a precaution, and the company said supermarket withdrawals caused financial damage.
The accused is also alleged to have threatened another company, Martinelli, over beer bottles he claimed to have poisoned, and a riding stable over its horses.
Investigators traced him using digital evidence and arrested him in 2022, according to one account.
The trial is continuing, and the allegations have not been established in court.
David Sirca, a man from Trieste, is on trial in Verona over an alleged attempt to extort €100,000 from food company Zuegg.
Prosecutors say he sent emails threatening to place poisoned jam jars in supermarkets and sent a video showing a jar being contaminated.
Zuegg did not pay and reported the threats to law enforcement.
The company said products were withdrawn from shops, causing financial damage.
Reports say Sirca also allegedly threatened a beer company and a horse stable owner.
- Who
- David Sirca, a 51-year-old from Trieste, is the defendant.
- What
- He is accused of attempted extortion, including threatening to contaminate Zuegg jam unless it paid €100,000.
- When
- The trial was under way in October 2026. Sirca was arrested in June 2022.
- Where
- The trial is in Verona. The video showed a jar being contaminated at a Conad store in Val di Fassa, Trentino.
- Why
- Prosecutors say he sought money by threatening to contaminate products. His motive beyond the alleged extortion is not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Sirca allegedly threatened to poison horses belonging to a stable owner in the Trieste area unless he received money.
Police arrested Sirca in Malchina, on the Trieste Karst, after tracing digital evidence and connection locations.
Zuegg’s legal representative testified at a hearing in Verona about the threats and product withdrawals.
Reports said the trial was hearing testimony from witnesses over the alleged extortion attempt.
- Defendant
- David Sirca, from Trieste
- Zuegg demand
- €100,000
- Alleged substance
- Thallium sulfate
- Location of filmed jar
- Conad store in Val di Fassa, Trentino
- Other company named
- Martinelli, based in Villafranca
- Martinelli demand
- €30,000
3 sources
What people are saying
We had received emails in which we were ordered to pay large sums of money if we did not want poisoned Zuegg jam jars to end up in supermarkets. Many chains withdrew our products and it was a considerable loss for the company.