It is being reported that the Schwerin Public Prosecutor’s Office has commenced an investigation into suspected imports of prohibited goods from Russia.
The case illustrates the appetite for investigating suspected sanctions breaches even of low value, as the cost of the goods imported is said to be €26.83: consisting of a bar of soap, a decorative piece of wood and a CD. The recipient is reported as saying that the goods were a gift from a long-standing Russian friend.
Last week more than 140 officers from the Munich Customs Investigation Office and the Munich I Public Prosecutor’s Office conducted raids on several premises in Munich and Baden Württemberg.
The subject of the raids was a machine tool manufacturer suspected of exporting 20 machines valued at more than €5.5m to Russia in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
It has subsequently been reported that the company was Spinner GmbH.
It has also now been reported that three individuals have been charged with sanctions offences. They have not been named.
The press release from the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office also stated that the Bulgarian authorities conducted contemporaneous raids at premises in Bulgaria with support and coordination from Eurojust.
As first reported in Global Sanctions, and as per a press release by German Customs, the Marburg Regional Court on 8 July has sentenced an individual to 5 years in jail for exporting luxury cars to Russian breach of the EU’s sanctions.
The man was convicted of 71 separate counts.
The court also confiscated approximately €5m as the gross proceeds of the cars sales.
Hamburg’s Customs Investigations Office has announced raids on residential and commercial properties in the Berlin area as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected imports of luxury goods from Russia in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
In particular it is alleged that the business was importing substitute caviar from Russia which would amount, if proven, to a breach of import prohibitions under the Russian sanctions.
Other offences including customs evasion are being investigated.
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 publication Business Insider has conducted a survey of the enforcement activity conducted by Prosecutors’ Offices across Germany in relation to the export of German cars, and published the results (behind a paywall).
A total of 14 different Prosecutors’ Offices confirmed that they have brought, or are bringing, criminal prosecutions in relation to the alleged export of luxury cars from Germany to Russia in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
The total number of prosecutions reported to date was 41.
German Customs has issued a press release relating to raids conducted in Frankfurt am Main on 13 May 2025.
The raids saw the seizure of 21 luxury cars valued at approximately €1.3m.
The alleged culprit is a 39-year old of Kazakh origin. It is alleged that more than 700 cars have been exported to Russia and Belarus through third countries., valued at c. €25m.
The Court of Justice has issued a preliminary ruling arising from the criminal conviction in Germany of an individual who was stopped at Frankfurt Airport in May 2022 attempting to export €13,800 in cash to Russia.
The individual’s argument was that the funds fell within the “personal use” exception in article 5i(2)(a) of regulation 833/2014, as they were for intended for various medical procedures including dental treatment, fertility treatment and plastic surgery.
The Court of Justice has decided that a “strict interpretation of th[e] exception” was appropriate, that medical treatments do not fall within the exception, and that the exception was for “cash necessary to obtain essential goods and services in order to meet their needs during their travel and stay in Russia”.
The reference to the CJEU was from the Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main, which was hearing an appeal from the original conviction.
The Customs Office in Frankfurt am Main has issued a press release relating to actions taken in two ongoing investigations.
The first case, which is being conducted by the Darmstadt Prosecutor’s Office, saw raids in Offenbach, Main-Taunus, Hochtaunus and Main-Kinzig under 24 different warrants. There are two defendants aged 58 and 81, and they are suspected of exporting cars to Russia in breach of sanctions as well as other offences. Cars, cash, coins, watches and real estate were seized with a value of €7.8 million.
The second case arose from a suspicious activity report, and is being conducted by the Frankfurt am Main Prosecutor’s Office. A 55-year old is suspected of having exported more than 150 cars to Russia in breach of sanctions. Raids were carried out in the district of Offenbach with evidence and assets seized. The press release states that the value of seized assets was €6.9 million.
It is being reported that the German Prosecutor’s Office has charged four Russian nationals with making funds available to ISIS in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
One individual was arrested in January of this year and three others in July of 2024.
They are accused of raising €174,000 for ISIS and then sending that to ISIS via various channels.
