The GNR announced that in the scope of the ‘Dark Paper’ operation, conducted in coordination with the Tax and Customs Authority (AT) and the Brazilian Federal Police, four men aged between 40 and 52 were arrested. A total of 84 vehicles were seized in the districts of Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Setúbal, and in Brazil.
The operation led to the dismantling of a fraudulent scheme that simulated vehicle transactions through shell companies, resulting in a tax loss exceeding 5.4 million euros.
The GNR revealed that the investigation, ongoing for approximately a year and a half, found that several companies were involved in intracommunity acquisitions of vehicles and subsequently manipulated the applicable VAT regime. This was done with the aim of significantly reducing or completely eliminating the tax amount owed to the State.
Throughout the operation, 43 search warrants were executed, including 12 residential and 31 targeting car dealerships, warehouses, offices, and garages.
Confiscated items included 84 vehicles, three firearms, 25 mobile phones, nine computers, 4,900 euros in cash, 1.7 grams of cocaine, three data storage disks, a USB drive, four bank cards, and various documents.
The GNR stated that the seized assets hold a property value of 2,067,263 euros, with various documents and digital evidence also collected.
To date, six corporate entities and six individuals have been made official suspects, accused of crimes including qualified tax fraud, criminal association, and money laundering.
The operation engaged 114 military personnel from the GNR’s Fiscal Action Unit (UAF), 34 inspectors/investigators from the AT, and 10 members of the AT’s Computer Forensics Unit.
The detainees will be brought before the Porto Judicial Court for the application of appropriate coercive measures.
