THE HAGUE, Netherlands 

European law enforcement agency Europol said Tuesday that it had foiled an attempt to cheat German health authorities by selling them millions of euros worth of non-existent face masks amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.   

Europol said in a statement that two companies were contracted by the German government last month to buy face masks valued at 15 million euros ($16.4 million). 

The companies, based in Hamburg and Zurich, got in touch with a supplier firm registered in Spain to purchase a total of 10 million medical masks. 

When the sale failed to materialize, the two companies were referred to a dealer in Ireland who said he would connect them with a supplier in the Netherlands. 

An initial deal was struck, with the two companies paying 1.5 million euros ($1.65 million) for 1.5 million masks. 

The companies arranged for 52 trucks to transport the masks along with a police escort to ensure their safety. 

But just before the scheduled delivery, the swindlers demanded an additional 880,000 euros ($966,000) “to secure the merchandise.” 

Irish security authorities blocked the initial payment and their counterparts in the Netherlands arrested two suspects linked to the organization. 

In a recently issued report, Europol called on people to be on guard against those seeking to exploit the coronavirus crisis. 

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas