(Luxembourg, 20 April 2026) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Berlin (Germany) has filed an indictment against three car traders, following an investigation into a criminal organisation importing salvage vehicles from the United States (US) and reselling them after cosmetic repair, while evading custom duties and VAT. The criminal scheme also poses serious dangers for road safety in Europe.
The indictment, filed at the Regional Court in Berlin (Landgericht Berlin I), is the first to be brought as part of the investigation codenamed Nimmersatt.
The defendants are accused of participating in a criminal organisation and of aiding and abetting VAT fraud at the final sales level, causing an estimated damage of €15 million. One of the accused is in pre-trial detention.
In April 2025, the EPPO uncovered a vast criminal network active in smuggling badly damaged cars from the US into the EU, and selling them to end customers after superficial repair, while defrauding the payment of customs duties and committing large-scale VAT fraud. The cars also pose serious dangers to the safety of European consumers, who unknowingly buy hazardous vehicles for a high price. Following an initial series of searches and arrests in April 2025, which led to the apprehension of the organisation’s main ringleaders and company directors, further arrests were carried out in February 2026.
If found guilty, the defendants face up to 15 years in prison.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent courts of law.
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.