Mass arrests of car suppliers to Russia and Belarus took place in Poland.
Employees of the Central Investigative Bureau of the Polish Police have detained 20 people suspected of participating in an organized criminal group that, contrary to EU sanctions, supplied about 600 cars to Russia and Belarus.
The investigation concerns the activities of the group, which operated in Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Germany and other European countries between 2021 and 2025.
Members of the criminal group purchased luxury cars from car dealerships, including BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Lexus and Range Rover. The cars were then resold to other companies and delivered to buyers in EU countries. From there, they were shipped back to Poland, and then, in violation of sanctions, they were sold to Russia and Belarus, mainly through Belarusian, Azerbaijani and Kazakh companies.
The crimes of which members of the group were accused, including some classified as grave, were punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment.
In 2022, the European Union imposed sanctions prohibiting the export of luxury goods to Russia, including cars over 50,000 euros.
