Twenty-eight new electric cars from China have been seized at the port of Civitavecchia following an anti-fraud operation conducted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), in cooperation with the Customs & Monopolies Agency.
According to footage in the Customs & Monopolies Agency video, the vehicles had been produced for Volkswagen and were destined for Austria, the importer’s place of residence.
According to Ansa, the investigation revealed that the importation of these vehicles into the EU had never been authorized, either by the manufacturer or by any of its agents or licensees, thus constituting illegal parallel importing.
The 28 electric cars had been declared at Civitavecchia Customs Office for about €80,000, including the cost of transport and insurance from China, so at about 3,000 dollars each. The market value, however, was at least 10 times higher, at over €900,000 considering that in Europe these are marketed at €50,000 each.
Translation by Giles Foster
