(Luxembourg, 20 July 2023) – An investigation into a suspected organised crime group trading luxury cars, conducted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Paris (France) and Sofia (Bulgaria), has led to searches carried out in several locations on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The suspected criminal group, active in several EU countries, is believed to be laundering the proceeds of criminal activity by trading luxury cars, without paying VAT. The invoices for the purchase and sale of over 200 luxury cars, discovered during the searches, are being analysed.
The illegal activities date back to 2018, causing an estimated damage to the EU budget of at least €11 million.
The searches were carried out in Sofia, Varna and Vinograd (Bulgaria), in order to seize evidence and proceeds of the crimes. During the probe, €73 000 in cash was seized, as well as gold and foreign currencies.
Searches had already been carried out in France by the EPPO’s Paris office, in June, with the support of the Financial Judicial Investigation Service (Service d’Enquêtes Judiciaires des Finances – SEJF).
The investigative measures carried out this week counted on the support of Bulgaria’s National Investigative Service (Национална следствена служба) and Bulgaria’s General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (ГДБОП).
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.