ΑΑΔΕ: confiscation of 21 tons of smuggled ethyl alcohol

The Independent Tax Service seized a significant amount of smuggled ethyl alcohol intended for the falsification of alcoholic beverages.

On Saturday 15.07 the customs control service ΑΑΔΕ of Thessaloniki, through the Customs Administration of Bulgaria, raised an alarm in the region of northern Greece in connection with the discovery of a particular truck with Serbian license plates. The case concerned transportation of smuggled ethyl alcohol with an additional cargo of windshield washer fluids in the name of the consignee, which the auditors of ELYT Thessaloniki ΑΑΔΕ Customs recognized as non-existent.

The economic police of Thessaloniki were also involved in the case, and after coordinated action, the truck was located at the toll booth (diodia) in Malgari and placed under surveillance.

At midnight on Saturday and after ELYT ΑΑΔΕ the Attica Customs and Attica Economic Police successively took over the baton, the truck ended up in a closed parking lot in the Aspropyrgos area.

On Sunday morning, the truck was transferred to another parking lot in the same area. And after consultation between the two prosecution authorities at the highest level, it was decided to start checking the truck. ΑΑΔΕ customs inspectors and the police searched the truck and instead of the declared cargo, 21.6 tons of smuggled ethyl alcohol were found. The results of the laboratory analysis of ΑΑΔΕ Chemistry showed that the strength of ethyl alcohol is 96.3%.

The amount of unpaid duties and taxes will be 667,000.00 euros. The driver and owner of the truck, a citizen of Serbia, was arrested and brought before the Athens District Attorney. The fine to be imposed will exceed EUR 2,000,000. The customs authorities of the AΑΑΔΕ prosecutor’s office are continuing their investigation to identify the final recipients of the smuggled cargo.

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