A joint operation carried out in 23 European Union member states, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and targeting organized crime groups involved in fuel fraud, has resulted in the arrests of 25 suspects so far and the seizure of 2.2 mln kilograms of illicit fuel, informs LETA/BNS referring to Europol.

The six-month long, large-scale operation involved 23 EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.





Spokespeople for the Estonian Tax and Customs Board told that while Estonia took part in exposing the illegal acts, no arrests were made in Estonia in the framework of the investigation.





The operation was supported by Europol experts who provided continuous analytical and operational expertise. The Customs Cooperation Working Party (CCWP) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) also supported the initiative.





So that the fuel would not be subject to excise regime once on the market, the criminals produced a mixture of mainly gas oil and other added compounds to modify the final physical features of the product. As a result, the final product illegally sold on the black market was particularly attractive because of the much lower price and enabled the criminals to make huge profits. Customs and police intervention took place across Europe over a period of six months and concluded in July.





Excellent international cooperation created a detailed intelligence picture of the modus operandi, routes, types of products and economic operators involved in the fraud. The actions have also revealed illegal unloading premises and supply chains, and resulted in the seizure of over 2.2 mln kilograms of illicit fuel, 400,000 kilograms of other products, such as base oils, additives, etc. and, thanks to the linked financial investigations, confiscation of various assets such as 109 vehicles, 19 estate properties, cash and bank accounts worth over three mln euros. Criminal proceedings and tax audits have been initiated in almost all EU member states participating in the operation, Europol said.





It added that such fuel can cause damage to vehicles' engines and can consequently be a risk to consumer health and safety.