€3.6 Million VAT Evasion: Major Textile Smuggling Operation Busted in Prato, Italy

• Italian authorities seized 237,000 garments and over 5.5 million meters of fabric in Prato as part of a VAT evasion and smuggling investigation.
• The scheme involved importing clothing and textiles from China using fake suppliers, buyers, and delivery addresses to avoid customs duties and VAT.
• Fake companies in Poland and Germany were used to reroute invoices, making the transactions appear as intra-EU purchases.
• The fraud enabled suspects to evade €3.6 million in import VAT and customs duties over three years.
• The total value of seized goods, including a previous raid, is estimated at €10 million.

Source: eunews.it

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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