In September 2024, the Guardia di Finanza launched a major operation against international smuggling, resulting in the execution of a preventive seizure order worth approximately €23 million. The order, issued by the Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Busto Arsizio Court, targets three individuals and two shipping companies (whose names have not been disclosed), accused of being involved in a large-scale customs fraud scheme that allowed the illegal importation of luxury watches worth millions of euros.
The investigation, initiated by a report from an employee of one of the involved companies, revealed a sophisticated smuggling network run by dishonest employees of freight forwarding companies operating at Malpensa Airport. Financial crime investigators from Varese, in collaboration with the Public Prosecutor's Office of Busto Arsizio and Malpensa Customs Office, discovered that between 2020 and 2022, in at least 80 instances, 64,000 high-end watches—brands such as Rolex, Bulgari, Chopard, Cartier, IWC, and Panerai—were illegally imported. The total estimated value of these luxury goods exceeds €103 million.
The watches, originating from Hong Kong, were accompanied by fake invoices and falsely declared as destined for a U.S. military base in Italy. This destination, enjoying extraterritorial status, allowed the evasion of customs duties and VAT through the Community Transit system, a customs mechanism that exempts goods from taxes while awaiting further shipment to another destination.
The investigation revealed that the watches were never actually intended for the military base, which was found to be entirely uninvolved. Instead, the goods were illegally introduced into the Italian market, bypassing the payment of customs duties and import VAT. This allowed the smugglers to sell the products at lower prices than the official market, disrupting competition.
The financial damage has been estimated at approximately €23 million, divided between evaded VAT totaling over €22.9 million and customs duties amounting to about €50,000. The Busto Arsizio judiciary has issued a preventive seizure order for assets equivalent to the illicit profit. The first seizure, carried out in November 2023, involved assets worth €1 million, including watches, jewelry, and cash. In September, a second seizure was executed, freezing additional funds in the bank accounts of the suspects, including those of the two companies involved, bringing the total to the €23 million in evaded taxes.
