Six charged over ‘biggest’ EU container seizure: prosecutors

Six radical person been charged successful transportation with the biggest-ever seizure of fraudulently imported goods from China into the EU, the European nationalist prosecutor’s bureau successful Athens said Monday.

The raid successful June seized implicit 2,400 shipping containers astatine the larboard of Piraeus, chiefly filled with e-bikes, textiles and footwear.

The haul was worth astatine slightest 250 cardinal euros ($294 million), the bureau said successful a statement.

Two customs officers person been charged with repeated mendacious certification, causing unlawful gains and harm of implicit 871,000 euros, and with abetting customs fraud.

The different 4 are customs brokers who person been charged with repeated customs fraud and mendacious certification.

“It is suspected that the customs brokers under probe declared the aforesaid magnitude of containers for importation connected a monthly basis, for years,” the bureau said.

It noted that the scam had been ongoing for astatine slightest 8 years, causing an estimated nonaccomplishment of astatine slightest 350 cardinal euros successful customs duties and 450 cardinal euros successful VAT income tax.

Source: AFP