Brussels, 20/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - Twelve arrest warrants were carried out in Naples and its surrounding areas on 17 December by the national authorities, la Guardia di Finanza and the carabinieri of Naples in the context of a huge fraud case in Italy and in several other European Union member states, the EU agency for legal cooperation, Eurojust, announced on Monday. According to Eurojust, its Italian office played a major role in organising the operation, known as “Gold Fish”, aimed at dismantling a criminal organisation involved in fraud, tax evasion, and false bankruptcy. The criminal organisation began operating in 2005 by using a network of six fake commercial companies. It bought up large quantities of sea fish from companies located abroad, mainly in northern Europe such as Norway and Denmark but also in Greece, France, Spain and Portugal. The financial damage and losses for the victims and national authorities amount to €3 million for the private sector, €28 million for VAT tax evasion and €25 million involving false bankruptcy. (B.C./transl.jl)