Italian authorities seize 61 luxury cars in €42 million VAT fraud scheme

VAT fraud luxury car import Guardia di Finanza EPPO cooperation cross‑border crime

Under coordination of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) offices in Bologna, Torino and Palermo, the Guardia di Finanza in Prato executed judicial measures issued by the Tribunal of Civitavecchia to dismantle a criminal association that evaded VAT on the import of luxury cars. The operation seized 61 vehicles, 10 bank accounts and assets worth more than €6 million, and imposed personal and patrimonial precautionary measures on seven individuals and six companies.

Investigators traced the fraud to the illegal import of about 1,700 German‑origin cars, allowing the group to avoid VAT of over €42.8 million. The scheme operated across Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands and relied on fictitious companies registered in San Marino and forged customs documents. Earlier seizures in October 2025 had already immobilised assets exceeding €11 million.

International cooperation with EPPO offices in Cologne and Munich led to over 80 searches in Italy and Germany in February 2024, the arrest of three German suspects and the seizure of 40 additional luxury vehicles and €1.2 million in cash. The nationwide blitz involved finance units from Rome, Naples, Vibo Valentia, Catania and Palermo.