Brussels, 11/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - After coordinated action with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the Polish police and customs authorities intercepted six containers of 144 tonnes of fresh garlic from China, illegally carried and declared as onions. This allowed losses of €180,000 to be avoided from the European budget in unpaid customs duties. However, the total impact in terms of evaded customs duties for garlic declared as onions is estimated at more than €1 million, the European Commission states. Interception of the first two containers on 15 December last is the result of a “carefully prepared initiative coordinated by OLAF in close cooperation with the Polish police in Lublin and the Polish customs authorities”, said Ian Walton, Director of Investigations and Operations II at OLAF, speaking on Monday 10 January. Detailed inquiry and information exchange between the Dutch and Polish authorities resulted in the interception of four other containers on 5 January, he said. Each of the six containers held 24 tonnes of garlic. They were shipped from China to the port of Rotterdam where the cargo had then been declared and reloaded onto another kind of boat, destination Poland. Unlike onions, imports of fresh garlic from China are subject to an ad valorem tax of 9.6% (also applicable to onions) and an additional tax of €1,200 per tonne (net weight). Only 58,870 tonnes (including 33,700 tonnes for China) are exempted from these two taxes, in the context of an import quota worldwide. China has a very considerable production capacity for garlic, combined with low production costs. It is therefore obvious, OLAF points out, that evading the levy by importing fresh garlic illegally is an attractive business for smugglers. The Anti-Fraud Office opened its investigation in December. (A.By./transl.jl)