Chinese e-bikes imported into the EU while evading taxes. EPPO charges six people

Brussels – The European Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced yesterday the indictment of six people for their alleged involvement in the fraudulent entry of Chinese goods (mainly bicycles and electric scooters) into the Greek port of Piraeus. At the end of June 2025, the EPPO seized 2,435 shipping containers, with goods valued at €250 million.

The European office’s indictment is part of the Calypso investigation, which this summer involved several EU ports. The European Chief Prosecutor, Laura Codruța Kövesi, said: “Highly organised criminal networks have been specialising in this kind of fraud for years. Investigation Calypso sends these criminals a simple message: the rules of the game have changed, no more safe havens for you!”

Following initial evidence gathered, Greek customs authorities charged two customs officers, one of whom was detained on Friday, with false certification, aiding and abetting. In addition, four customs brokers, already arrested by the Greek authorities in June, are among those detained. The fraudulent mechanism had been ongoing for at least eight years, causing an estimated loss of at least €350 million in customs duties and €450 million in VAT. EPPO estimated that, on average, only “10-15 percent of the actual number of e-bikes in a container were declared.”

The smugglers operated by routing goods through the port of Piraeus and undervaluing them on customs declarations. Customs operators, such as customs brokers or service providers, facilitated customs clearance to other EU countries through a mechanism designed to evade VAT payment. The aim was to secure an exemption from paying VAT through the application of Customs Procedure 42 (CP42), which allows an exemption if the goods are sold to other EU companies. In reality, these final buyers did not exist and were only used as frontmen to evade taxes. The goods were instead stored in illegal Chinese hubs and then distributed across the Union using false documents.

Operation Calypso, held this summer, is the largest container seizure ever carried out in the EU. The investigation conducted by EPPO covers 14 countries: Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. The operational phase of Calypso started on 26 June with the execution of 101 searches at the offices of customs brokers. In their homes, approximately EUR 5.8 million was found (of which EUR 4.75 million was in Greece and the remainder in France and Spain), in various currencies, including Hong Kong dollars and euros, often stored in digital wallets and cryptocurrencies.