A Polish distributor is celebrating after the police recovered €97,000 worth of Snickers stolen by fraudsters impersonating Asda.

Police seized the consignment from a London warehouse in February along with hundreds of thousands of pounds of groceries belonging to other companies.

The Polish company, which got its stock back this week, said: “We’re very happy the police managed to recover the goods. They did a really good job.”

Posing as a senior Asda executive, fraudsters approached the distributor earlier this year using a fake email account and documents. The company only realised it had been duped when it rang Asda, having delivered the €97,000 order. It sent a senior executive to the UK to liaise with police, trade bodies and embassies, and hired private detectives, offering a €20,000 reward.

Police are working through the remaining groceries to identify who they belong to. They have identified stock belonging to three companies, including an Austrian and a Croatian supplier.

A National Fraud Intelligence Bureau alert has been sent out internationally to suppliers and truck drivers.

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