Response
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) yesterday in Piraeus Port was pursued by the European Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in a case of alleged customs fraud and VAT on goods imported from China.
It is the largest seizure of containers made in the European Union, under the code under the code name “Calypso”, which is targeting criminal networks, which managed a whole chain of imports of Chinese products in the EU, including distribution in Member States and Member States.
The containers were found in the port of Piraeus, which is a majority of the Chinese state company COSCO and contained primarily electric bicycles, fabrics and shoes worth 250m euros.
Hundreds of millions of damage
The plan aimed to avoid paying anti-dumping dumping in Chinese imports. For example, in the case of electric bicycles, only 10 to 15% of their actual number were stated. Specifically, at least 500 containers contained electric bicycles, of which 360 had not been reported to the customs authorities.
The loss to the European budget alone for electric bicycles is EUR 25 million due to unpaid duties and EUR 12.5 million in VAT not attributed. This system has been operating for at least eight years, causing losses of a total of € 350m on customs duties and an additional € 450m in VAT, according to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The “target” of European prosecutors in Athens are two customs officials accused of false assurances, leading to illegal profits and loss in the European budget, while four customs clearances are accused of repeated customs fraud and incitement.
Networks under Chinese control?
These networks – which are mainly controlled by Chinese nationals – are also involved in money laundering and sending profits back to China. According to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, a total of ten suspects were arrested during the “Calypso” operation at the end of June 2025 in four countries.
“These highly organized criminal networks have specialized in such scams for years,” said European prosecutor Laura Covessi, adding that the operation sends a clear message: “The rules have changed and there are no more safe shelters. Now we have to turn this impressive success into systematic work. We need specialized police, customs and tax researchers across the EU. “
The confiscated containers are currently controlled by the Greek authorities. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office, however, acknowledged that the analysis of the products creates unprecedented workload for the Piraeus Customs Authorities, as well as security risks.
Source: Skai
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