300,000 in customs and criminal tax proceedings: The most expensive break ever! 🫢

And all because of a repair consignment from Switzerland …

I swear, this story happened exactly like that:

Some time ago, I received a call from a follower who runs a car workshop in southern Germany and specialises in restoring classic cars. A customer from Switzerland had asked if he could restore his classic car. As Switzerland is not part of the EU, he asked me about the procedure in such a case. 🚗

I explained the process of active refinement to him and advised him to find a customs agent at the German-Swiss border who could help with the customs declaration and subsequent re-export. He found this too complicated and decided not to advise the customer and to have the vehicle restored in Switzerland.

A few weeks later, he called me again and told me that his customer had come up with the idea of handing the vehicle over to him on the German side to avoid customs. Unfortunately, he went along with it and the plan was actually realised. 🤦🏼‍♂️

So the Swiss drove the classic car across the border himself, and the restorer was waiting on the German side with a trailer onto which the vehicle was loaded. So far, so bad. On the way to the workshop, the colleague had to take a toilet break, and at the rest area, of all places, he encountered a mobile customs control unit. The customs officers saw a car with Swiss licence plates on a trailer with German licence plates and carried out a customs check. The scam was discovered.

It was a case of “unlawful introduction”, i.e. import smuggling. The officials imposed import duties totalling around €300,000, which had to be paid immediately. The colleague did not want to reveal which vehicle was involved, but with a duty rate of 10% for motor vehicles and 19% import sales tax, the value would be around €1 million. 💰

As the sum could not be paid in cash, the vehicle was confiscated on the spot. According to the garage owner, the Swiss owner paid the sum to get his car back. Both are now facing criminal tax proceedings, as customs duties are taxes and this is no trivial offence.

Two criminal charges richer and €300,000 poorer, the vehicle was not restored and the story ends like this. 🔚

The garage owner asked me if I could help him now. I recommended a good lawyer specialising in criminal tax law. Unfortunately, that was all I could do.

But I can do something for you to avoid such difficulties. With our compact, interactive e-learning courses, you can quickly and easily acquire the expertise you need for correct customs clearance and more. 🧑🏼‍💻

Have you also had a “curious” experience with customs? Share it with me!