Crime, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation, Lithuania
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Friday, 19.04.2024, 07:53
Europol seize 2.2 mln kg of illicit fuel in operation carried out in 23 states
The six-month long, large-scale operation involved 23 EU member states:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany,
Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.
Spokespeople for the Estonian Tax and Customs Board told that while
Estonia took part in exposing the illegal acts, no arrests were made in Estonia
in the framework of the investigation.
The operation was supported by Europol experts who provided continuous
analytical and operational expertise. The Customs Cooperation Working Party
(CCWP) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) also supported the initiative.
So that the fuel would not be subject to excise regime once on the
market, the criminals produced a mixture of mainly gas oil and other added
compounds to modify the final physical features of the product. As a result,
the final product illegally sold on the black market was particularly
attractive because of the much lower price and enabled the criminals to make
huge profits. Customs and police intervention took place across Europe over a
period of six months and concluded in July.
Excellent international cooperation created a detailed intelligence
picture of the modus operandi, routes, types of products and economic operators
involved in the fraud. The actions have also revealed illegal unloading
premises and supply chains, and resulted in the seizure of over 2.2 mln
kilograms of illicit fuel, 400,000 kilograms of other products, such as base
oils, additives, etc. and, thanks to the linked financial investigations,
confiscation of various assets such as 109 vehicles, 19 estate properties, cash
and bank accounts worth over three mln euros. Criminal proceedings and tax
audits have been initiated in almost all EU member states participating in the
operation, Europol said.
It added that such fuel can cause damage to vehicles' engines and can
consequently be a risk to consumer health and safety.