The European Public Prosecutor’s Office dismantled a criminal network of VAT fraud on food products that caused losses of 30 million eurosin an operation that led to the arrest of 11 people, the organization announced on Wednesday.
According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office, in the operation called “Ragweed” 222 search warrants were executed, including 40 house searches, 46 non-house searches, four law firms and 132 vehicles. In addition to the 11 arrests, 43 vehicles and 120,000 euros in cash were also seized.
The searches were carried out in the districts of Lisbon, Porto, Setúbal, Coimbra, Aveiro, Braga, Leiria, Santarém, Évora and Viseu, in several towns in Spain and one town in France, with more than 230 officers involved. Portugal, The operation was led by four European delegated prosecutors and two investigating judges in Portugal.
Source: Observadora
