08/01/25 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 7 January, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced the dismantling of a transnational criminal network operating between Germany and Spain, involved in VAT fraud on the sale of luxury cars. The damage is estimated at €17 million in Spain. Thirty people were arrested, including the alleged ringleader, who was apprehended in Germany, where he ran the operation and transited the vehicles to dealers in Spain. The authorities seized 34 properties and 20 luxury cars and blocked more than 200 bank accounts in several countries. The investigation, carried out in conjunction with the Spanish National Police’s unit specialised in economic and tax crime (UDEF) and the Spanish Tax Agency, revealed the use of shell companies to conceal profits. The suspects are presumed innocent until a court order is issued. (NP)