Italian police raid Amazon sites in probe involving Chinese goods
E-commerce giant Amazon is suspected of acting as a ‘Trojan horse’ in Italy customs fraud case, court document says
Italian police raided two Amazon sites on Monday as part of a growing investigation into alleged customs and tax fraud involving Chinese imports, three sources with direct knowledge of the case said.
Prosecutors suspect the e-commerce giant acted like a “Trojan horse”, bringing Chinese goods into Italy without paying sales taxes or customs duties, according to a court document seen by Reuters.
The scheme could have cost the state hundreds of millions of euros and may extend across the European Union, sources said.
Dozens of officers from the Guardia di Finanza and the customs agency seized around 5,000 products at a logistics hub operated by the e-commerce giant in Cividate al Piano, in the northern province of Bergamo, the sources said.
At Amazon’s Italian headquarters in central Milan, police seized IT equipment and identified the manager responsible for the movement of goods within Italy.
Amazon declined to comment on the raids but said it was “committed to complying with all applicable tax laws and we cooperate fully with all relevant authorities”.