Three arrested in Córdoba for importing German cars with forged documentation
The National Police dismantled a criminal network in Córdoba that imported fraudulent vehicles from Germany, defrauding approximately 100,000 euros in taxes.
Criminal network in Córdoba imported German cars with falsified documents
The National Police arrested three Córdoba residents at the end of August as alleged members of a criminal group dedicated to the fraudulent importation of vehicles from Germany, according to ABC. The detainees falsified purchase documentation and declared values lower than the actual ones to avoid paying taxes, transferring vehicle ownership to third parties in exchange for money.
The investigation began following a complaint about a traffic fine whose recipient claimed not to be the real owner of the sanctioned vehicle. Based on that verification, the National Police were able to establish that the facts corresponded to the activity of an organised group with well-defined roles among its members.
According to the investigation, one of the now detainees was responsible for organising the purchase of vehicles in Germany. A second member managed administrative procedures through a commercial company, so that the operations would appear to comply with the law. The third investigated person was in charge of supplying identity documentation to the straw men, who were unaware of the consequences of that transfer: in the event of a claim from the Tax Agency, fiscal responsibility would fall on them, whilst the true beneficiaries of the fraud remained anonymous.
In total, investigators confirmed the fraudulent importation of around ten vehicles. The amount of tax fraud amounts to approximately 100,000 euros, and the asset concealment linked to the scheme raises the overall economic harm to figures close to half a million euros.
The three investigated individuals, all residents of Córdoba, were placed at the disposal of the competent judicial authority as alleged perpetrators of offences of money laundering, membership of a criminal group and falsity in commercial documents.
Source: ABC