- The European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome is investigating a multimillion-euro customs and value-added tax fraud scheme.
- 13 Chinese nationals and four Italians were arrested for the illicit import of clothing, shoes, and accessories from China.
- A judicial order was executed in Florence, prompting the country’s financial police to freeze 71.05 million euros.
- The syndicate imported handbags, shoes, and other accessories into the country and exploited the European Union’s Customs Procedure 42.
- The contraband entered the European Union through Bulgaria, Hungary, and Greece before being transported to distribution centers in Italy.
- The syndicate generated fake invoices for nonexistent transactions.
- The syndicate allegedly established 29 companies across the Italian provinces of Florence, Prato, and Rome, before shutting them down within two years.
- The EPPO noted that they also ran an underground money transfer operation.
- The latest prosecutions follow arrests in another case last year in which EU law enforcement officers uncovered a money laundering operation.
- In July 2024, an investigation by Spanish law enforcement resulted in 100 officers executing 12 searches.
- The officials confiscated 160,000 euros in cash and arrested the kingpin along with four other suspects.
- French customs officers were also involved in the investigation.
- It was established that the money laundered in the operation was generated by counterfeit goods, prostitution, and tax and customs fraud.
- EU authorities froze 116 million euros in a suspected 113 million euros tax evasion scheme.
Source: ntd.com
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
