Smuggled Chinese products? Raids at Amazon in Italy

Italy's police searched the Amazon headquarters in Milan and a logistics center of the US online retailer in the province of Bergamo on Monday. Reuters reports, citing court documents, in which Amazon is accused of acting as a "Trojan horse" for Chinese imports for which the due taxes were not paid. In total, it concerns hundreds of millions of euros in lost tax revenue. The investigations could therefore also extend to other EU countries. According to the news agency, technical equipment was seized at the headquarters, and about 5,000 products were confiscated at the logistics center. Amazon has not commented on the specific action.

Expansion likely

According to Reuters, the searches were carried out by the Guardia di Finanza, a police unit specializing in economic crime. They were initiated by the Milan public prosecutor's office on suspicion that falsely declared goods from China were imported into Europe via Amazon and sold there. This would constitute smuggling, which violates EU laws. Ultimately, it could involve half a million products; dozens of shell companies in Italy are said to be part of the fraud. The extent to which the searches will affect Amazon's business in Italy is currently unclear.

According to a Reuters source, it is already assumed in Italy that the case will be extended to other EU countries. Details have already been shown to law enforcement agencies from Germany, France, Poland, and other countries. So far, Amazon has only assured that the company has complied with all applicable laws and is cooperating with the authorities. During the searches at the northern Italian logistics center, toys, smartphone cases, air fryers, pens, and small scissors were among the items confiscated. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, hundreds of thousands of other goods were seized previously.

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(mho)