site.btaBulgaria in Operation Display against VAT Fraud in 10 EU Member States

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) reported Tuesday that it carried out an operation in 10 EU member states, among them Bulgaria, within the framework of an investigation into cross-border VAT fraud. 61 searches of businesses and homes of people directly linked to them were carried out, and five people were arrested in Czechia, Bulgaria and Slovakia. The criminal activity of the group behind the cross-border VAT fraud scheme led to estimated damages of EUR 32 million.

The other countries included in the operation are Austria, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Slovenia.

The investigation into the missing trader intra-community fraud scheme began in 2021, shortly after the start of the EPPO’s operations. This is the third action day of the investigation, and it is the first time that suspects have been arrested. During the first two action days, AirPods with a value of €5.2 million have been secured. The goal is to gather evidence and uncover more information about the organized criminal group trading small electronic goods from Germany and selling them via so-called missing traders all over Europe, EPPO said.