MARBELLA – On Wednesday at the crack of dawn, the Guardia Civil carried out a large-scale police raid on a law firm in the centre of Marbella. The raid was part of an international macro operation.
The operation has been dubbed ‘Almirante’ (Admiral) and was carried out by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) against tax fraud. The raid was carried out by Guardia Civil police agents early in the morning at the Alfil office building on Avenida Ricardo Soriano, Marbella in the old town . At the same time, a villa was also investigated further in the Nagüeles area, close to Puerto Banus.
Police raid on tax fraud
The operation was carried out by dozens of agents. However, it is currently unknown if any arrests have been made. According to sources consulted by the newspaper Sur, the actions are related to an operation directed by the EPPO to prosecute a complex system of VAT fraud. The system was allegedly based on the sale of electronic products. Furthermore, numerous organised crime groups were said to have benefited from it.
According to the sources consulted, the interventions were carried out simultaneously in different areas of 14 European countries. These were;
- Belgium
- Cyprus
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Italy
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg,
- The Netherlands
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Spain
As part of the same operation, actions were already carried out in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Sweden on 12 and 13 October 2022, according to EPPO. As a result of all the data obtained during these actions, the international investigation will be further completed.
According to estimates by the EPPO, the damage caused by this tax fraud scheme could amount to around €2.2 billion.
