Hundreds of raids in major European VAT fraud investigation

• Authorities conducted raids in multiple European countries as part of an investigation into VAT fraud.
• Hundreds of thousands of euros worth of money, cars, and equipment were seized, and four people were arrested.
• Similar raids were also carried out in the Netherlands.
• The fraud resulted in over 200 million euros of taxes and customs duties being evaded.
• The investigation involved over 300 officials, including those from the Dutch FIOD.
• The operation was named “Masquerade Ball”.
• The suspected fraudsters were individuals with Chinese passports who imported goods from China to EU countries.
• Fake invoices were created with significantly lower values for the imported goods.
• The goods included textiles, shoes, and small electronics.
• There was also manipulation of a special import procedure for transit within the EU.
• The European Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that an “enormous network of intermediaries” was used, particularly in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.

Source: taxlive.nl

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.

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