- European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) leads investigation into €85 million VAT fraud
- 59 searches and investigative measures carried out in eight countries
- Europol, German tax agencies, and national police forces support the investigation
- Alleged ringleader of criminal groups arrested
- Seized items include 1,800 AirPods, cash, luxury cars, luxury watch, and a jammer
- Criminal organization involved in international trade of consumer electronics, mainly AirPods
- Suspected of evading tax through VAT carousel fraud
- Estimated losses to EU and national budgets of at least €85 million
- Suspects established companies in Germany and other EU Member States for fraudulent trading
- Connections established between suspects and companies used in fraudulent schemes
- German company manager believed to be an accomplice of main suspects
- Reasonable grounds to believe he owns a company in Dortmund for money laundering purposes
- Hungarian company storing and selling goods in Germany as part of separate VAT fraud scheme
- EPPO responsible for investigating crimes against EU’s financial interests
- Multiple partners and national authorities involved in the investigation.
Source: eppo.europa.eu
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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