The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Athens has carried out the largest container seizure in European Union history, intercepting 2,435 shipping containers at the port of Piraeus. The containers, valued at around €250 million, were mainly loaded with e-bikes, textiles, and footwear.

The seizure followed a coordinated raid at the end of June 2025 under EPPO’s Operation Calypso, which targeted organised groups smuggling goods from China to avoid customs duties and VAT. The operation, carried out in four countries, led to the arrest of ten suspects.

In Athens, six people, including two customs officers, have been charged with fraud. Investigators say the officers repeatedly issued false certificates, causing over €871,000 in losses to the EU budget. Four customs brokers are also accused of customs fraud and encouraging false declarations, involving the same amount in unpaid duties and taxes. One broker was arrested last Friday, while four others arrested in June remain in custody.

The first 500 containers were seized during the June raid itself. Later, an additional 1,935 containers in transit to the EU were intercepted upon arrival in Piraeus, bringing the total to 2,435 containers, the largest seizure of its kind in the EU. Authorities confirmed that all containers were directly linked to the alleged fraud network.

Greek customs officials have begun inspecting the containers, but only a few have been opened so far. Each checked container shows similar misdeclarations and undervaluation. Officials said that opening and analysing thousands of containers is an unprecedented task for the Piraeus customs team and also presents safety risks.

Among the seized shipments, 500 containers were packed with e-bikes, and 360 of them had not been declared at all. Investigators said that, on average, only 10–15% of the e-bikes in each container were declared to customs. This method allowed the importers to avoid anti-dumping duties applied to e-bike imports from China. Losses from these e-bikes alone are estimated at €25 million in unpaid customs duties and €12.5 million in VAT.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) reported that this fraud had been ongoing for at least eight years, with similar numbers of containers declared each month to avoid detection. Overall, the EU budget suffered around €350 million in lost customs duties and €450 million in lost VAT.

Investigators found that the networks, mostly run by Chinese nationals, not only imported and distributed the e-bikes but also laundered the profits and sent money back to China.

Since the June raid, Greek customs at Piraeus port have seen improvements: importers are now declaring goods at closer-to their actual market price.

Reference: EPPO

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