display
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - Customs have uncovered an illegal gold trade from Liechtenstein to Baden-Württemberg.
In 2020 alone, over a ton of gold worth around 60 million euros is said to have been smuggled, as the Stuttgart customs investigation office and the public prosecutor announced on Thursday.
It is being investigated on suspicion of commercial and gang import smuggling.
There was already a major police operation in Germany, Liechtenstein, Italy and Switzerland in mid-March.
Three people between the ages of 39 and 74 were arrested.
Some came into custody.
During the searches, gold and silver worth around 2.5 million euros and 800,000 euros in cash were also confiscated.
The investigations have been running since the beginning of 2020. The customers in Germany paid for the gold in cash.
The purchase price, which could range from several 100,000 euros to over 1 million euros, is said to have been transported to Liechtenstein by car.
display
A total of 7.5 million euros in taxes should have been evaded in the alleged gold deals last year and 18 million euros in the previous years.
In the course of the investigation, the assets of around 25.5 million euros were provisionally confiscated.
These arrests relate to the profits allegedly obtained from illegal transactions.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210408-99-128413 / 3
Message