Italian Carabinieri dismantle counterfeit German licence‑plate scheme

The Carabinieri in the province of Fermo concluded "Operation Mannheim", a probe into the use of forged German‑origin vehicle licence plates. Two men from Civitanova Marche – an 81‑year‑old car‑dealer and a 47‑year‑old assistant involved in used‑car sales – were charged with producing and applying the counterfeit plates, which bore the prefix “MA”. Investigators seized 27 provisional German plates, all confirmed as forged, after a resident reported irregularities in a recently purchased imported vehicle.

The falsified plates were allegedly employed to evade Italian tax obligations, avoid the super‑tax on high‑emission cars, and extend registration periods beyond legal limits, thereby limiting the traceability of the vehicles in Italian motor‑vehicle records. The operation was coordinated by the Procura di Fermo with support from local Carabinieri stations and the International Police Cooperation Service.