The German customs announced the closure of the supply channel for luxury cars to Russia.
The prosecutor’s office in Würzburg and the customs department in Essen announced a joint operation to investigate the supply of luxury cars. Initially, they suspected the owner of a car dealership, a 47-year-old man, of organizing this channel. He is accused of selling cars worth over ten million euros to Russia despite sanctions.
On September 17th, the first searches took place, resulting in the seizure of assets worth about three million euros. After that, another suspect, a 40-something man, was arrested. On October 7, three real estate properties were searched and assets worth 4.3 million euros were seized.
According to German customs, the searches also took place in two companies in Estonia.
In March 2022, the European Union banned the export of luxury goods to Russia, including cars worth more than 50,000 euros.
