The Austrian TV station TV21 has broadcast a story (on YouTube in English) reporting on raids and searches by the Hannover Customs Office in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony on behalf of the Bielefeld Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Three individuals were arrested.
As well as trading in untaxed cigarettes, it is suspected that the group were responsible for the prohibited export of 100 cars to Russia via third countries in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
The Dutch FIOD has issued a press release regarding the arrest of four individuals and the launch of a criminal investigation into those individuals and an unnamed company operating in the Rotterdam area.
The individuals and company are suspected of being “involved in prohibited supplies or support of ships that are part of the so-called Russian shadow fleet” in breach of the EU’s Russian sanctions.
Raids and searches were carried out at four homes and the company’s premises.
Latvia’s Customs has issued a press release providing details on a recent confiscation proceeding, and providing some data on confiscation proceedings over all.
The press release states that 91 proceedings have been commenced to confiscate criminal property arising from breaches of EU sanctions.
It is noted that to date 57 of these proceedings have resulted in the confiscation of assets totalling €1,935,683.
The particular recent case outlined in the press release relates to the confiscation of a truck and trailer that had been stopped and searched at the Terekhova customs point. Officers suspected that the truck was itself being exported, and an investigation was commenced.
By court decision of 9 June 2025 the truck and its trailer, valued at €52,500, were confiscated.
It has been reported that the Spanish National Anti-Fraud Investigation Office, and competition authorities, have opened an investigation into the importation of diesel to Spain from Turkey and Morocco.
The suspicion being investigated is whether the diesel actually originates from Syria, Russia and/or Iran.
The investigation is reported to have been commenced in late 2024.
As further reported: “Several of the companies that were accused of bringing oil from Morocco due to their price advantage as they are of Russian origin in 2023 have either been disqualified or are currently involved in legal proceedings for fraud“.
It is being reported by Reuters, (and others) that a UK-Russian dual national, Mikhail Vlasov, has today appeared in court in London charged with 8 counts of breaching the UK’s Russian sanctions.
It is alleged that Mr Vlasov sent cryptocurrency (valued at £4,000) to separatist militias in Russian-occupied Ukraine that are designated persons under the UK’s sanctions.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
This is the second criminal prosecution under the UK’s post-2022 Russian sanctions.
France’s ACPR has issued a press release making public a fine of €600,000 imposed on Banque Delubac.
The detailed Décision, make clear that the compliance failings predominantly relate to AML and CTF failings, but Complaint 9 relates to sanctions compliance. The ACPR noted a failure by the bank to collect data on directors and beneficial owners for more than a quarter of its business customers. Further, the bank applied no screening at all on transactions valued at below €1,000 between 2020 and 2022/2023.
The size of the fine is said to reflect the €3m spent on improving the bank’s compliance, and the bank’s loss for the financial year 2024.
As first reported by Global Investigations Review (behind a paywall), the UK is prosecuting two individuals for the suspected export of military goods to a range of countries including Iran, Libya, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria.
The defendants David Greenhalgh, 67, and Christos Farmakis, 47, pled not guilty to 17 charges at Southwark Crown Crown on 13 June.
The exports are said to have taken place between 2009 and 2016, with the prosecution underscoring the absence of limitation periods in the UK.
As stated by GIR:
“The defendants allegedly helped ship fighter jets, radar systems, missiles and ammunition to Libya; “battle tanks and associated spare parts”, AK-47 rifles, anti-tank missiles and ammunition to South Sudan; missiles, launchers and rocket-propelled grenades to Syria; and Pechora S-125 surface-to-air missile systems, radar equipment and MiG-29, Su-25 and Su-27 fighter jets to Sudan. …
Farmakis is further accused of being involved in the illicit supply of 5,500 AK-47 rifles and 100,000 tonnes of ammunition to Syria, as well as 25,000 pistols to an unnamed country and unspecified quantities of AK-47 rifles to South Sudan and Iran.
Greenhalgh is separately accused of helping to export Mi-24V attack helicopters to Sudan”.
Trial has been set for April 2026.
It has been reported (here and here), that in early June the Italian police conducted seizures in Milan against the “Iranian” company Irital Shipping Lines.
The seizures involved assets of over €1m.
The reported reason was “Iran’s military support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”.
No public statement has been made by the Italian authorities, and it is unclear what is the precise nature of the allegations.
After press reporting by The Insider, into the acitivties of Czech companies allegedly exporting to Russia, it has now been reported that the Czech authorities are undertaking investigations into the companies.
The exports of machinery and duel-use goods (valued at more than €10m) are said to have largely gone through a range of third countries such as Estonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Latvia.
Confirmation of the investigations came from Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček.
The companies under investigation are:
Global Investigations Review (behind a paywall) has reported on the conviction in the UK of Aozma Sultana.
As previously posted, the UK’s Charity Commission has started an investigation into Aozma Sultana in April 2024. She was designated under the UK’s post-Brexit terrorism sanctions.
She answered “do not remember” to most of the questions sent to her upon her designation, and did answer the requisite questions on three other occasions – twice more when OFSI chased for responses, and again after he arrest.
Sentencing is to take place on 6 August.
