North: The sale of used cars was accompanied by a scam worth seven million euros (Illustration) -

SIPA

Buying and reselling high end used vehicles was paying off big.

Ten people were indicted on Thursday, including four remanded in custody, suspected of intracommunity VAT fraud amounting to seven million euros, the Lille prosecutor announced on Friday.

Since 2015, "several organized bands acting in concert" have been able to resell in France some 1,000 vehicles, "for a total acquisition of 35 million euros", after having established "false documents to obtain from the French tax administration , a discharge officially freeing them from their obligations to pay VAT in France, ”according to a press release from the prosecution.

Already known for acts of banditry

From a source close to the investigation, these crooks, of French nationality and domiciled in the Lille metropolitan area, bought cars mainly from German dealers, but also in the Netherlands and Belgium.

About 25 to 40 years old, some of them were already known for acts of banditry, drug trafficking or organized theft.

The arrests took place Tuesday and Wednesday, within the framework of a judicial investigation opened since 2019. They were carried out "in the middle of the second-hand trade of luxury vehicles (...) with the search of 21 homes and professional premises including 3 garages / showroom in the Lille metropolis, resulting in the placement in custody of 15 individuals, ”said the prosecution.

This complex operational system mobilized 120 police officers, as well as 20 Belgian and Luxembourg police officers, for the simultaneous execution of European requests for mutual criminal assistance.

Complaint filed in February 2019

The vehicles "were introduced into France through the intermediary of numerous rapidly failing ephemeral companies created in Nord Pas-de-Calais".

According to the source close to the investigation, the police were put on the trail of this scam "illustrating the porosity between" classic "organized crime and financial crime" after a complaint in February 2019 from a client.

The latter had not obtained the car he had bought.

A warehouse housing many vehicles was then discovered.

During the searches, around two million euros of criminal assets were seized in France and Luxembourg, including 17 high-end vehicles and "more than 500,000 euros on French and foreign bank accounts", also reported the prosecutor.

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Justice

Car salesman tried for VAT fraud estimated at ten million euros

  • Jail

  • VAT

  • Luxury cars

  • Fraud

  • Lille