[REVISION HISTORY]

European VAT carousel fraud investigations

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-10 10:07 UTC → 2026-10-10 17:57 UTC · added ~~removed~~

European authorities, coordinated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), have conducted major operations to dismantle international VAT carousel fraud networks involving electronic goods. In one investigation, known as Operation Hermes, authorities targeted a scheme involving the trade of mobile phones and electronic devices. This operation led to the detention of dozens of suspects, including 39 individuals in Portugal, as well as suspects in Italy and Spain. The EPPO estimated total losses across multiple member states reached at least 410 million euros, with the Portuguese state alone losing over 150 million euros. In Italy, the investigation implicated 93 companies and identified false invoices totaling over 450 million euros between 2022 and 2025. Recent developments in Operation Hermes include orders from the Lisbon Judicial Court for the preventive detention of 11 defendants. The investigation has involved 248 searches across various municipalities, such as Aveiro and Oliveira de Azemais. Legal proceedings have been split into two processes: one involving 21 defendants, where 11 are in preventive detention and 10 are out on bail, and a second process involving four defendants focused on qualified tax fraud. In the latter, three individuals were ordered to pay bail between 50,000 and 100,000 euros and must adhere to weekly reporting and contact prohibitions. A separate but related dismantling of a criminal network focused on computer products. This operation resulted in approximately 100 arrests across Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Malta. In Spain, investigators identified a Valencia-based company with Italian ownership as the center of a scheme that allegedly defrauded the Spanish Treasury of over 70 million euros since 2018. Law enforcement seized various assets, including cash, gold, jewelry, and frozen real estate valued at over seven million euros.

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.