Europol Disrupts Criminal Organization Smuggling Hazardous Salvage Cars from the US

On April 16, 2025, Europol issued a press release discussing a law enforcement action targeting an international organization allegedly engaging in smuggling badly damaged cars from the United States into the European Union and selling them to end customers after superficial repair. The crimes included defrauding the payment of customs duties and the commission of large-scale value-added tax (VAT) fraud, as well as defrauding consumers as to the status of the automobiles.