Annual balance sheet of results

  

• The Customs Department of the Tax Agency opened 14,500 files for administrative violations for tobacco smuggling, 53% more than the previous year, after reinforcing its controls
• The greater collaboration with other areas of the Agency provided for in the 2013 Control Plan allows for an increase in coordinated actions against tax fraud by 22% and its results by 37%.
• Customs seized 139 tons of hashish and 15 tons of cocaine, and carried out more than 1,900 arrests for drug smuggling

March 28, 2014.- The Customs and Excise Department of the Tax Agency seized 10.3 million packs of tobacco, 18.6% more than the previous year, and filed 136 complaints for alleged money laundering crimes, 33.3% more than in 2012. Last year, Customs carried out 411 judicial investigations, made 2,976 arrests and reported 2,350 alleged crimes for smuggling, tax fraud and money laundering.

In 2013, the Customs and Special Tax control work of the Tax Agency has been characterized by a reinforcement of the fight against tobacco and narcotics smuggling, taking into account the changing strategies of criminal organizations, as well as by significant progress in collaboration with other areas of the Agency on tax fraud and an increase in actions to repress money laundering.

In the area of tobacco smuggling, the reinforcement of the actions of the Tax Agency has focused on the fight against small-scale trafficking and the detection of new or renewed strategies for introducing the merchandise into the national territory. In 2013, the Customs Department of the Tax Agency carried out more than 1,900 reports for drug smuggling.

 

Small-scale tobacco seizures on the rise

Of the total of 10.3 million packs of contraband tobacco seized in 2013, more than 6.7 million correspond to seizures that have given rise to complaints of smuggling crimes, 5.4% more than the previous year. On the other hand, the packs seized for administrative infractions, which involve a smaller amount for each file, totaled almost 3.6 million units, 55.5% more than in 2012.

These infractions, added to those derived from the smuggling of tobacco and other types of tobacco, concluded with the opening of more than 14,500 proceedings, 52.9% more than the previous year. The highest incidence of small-scale smuggling has been detected both in postal shipments and in seizures from travelers by air and the introduction of tobacco from territories with low taxation, such as Gibraltar.

At the same time, the Tax Agency has faced two types of fraud that represent a novelty in the phenomenon of tobacco smuggling in Spain. Thus, last year the Tax Agency detected and dismantled, for the first time in Spain, an illegal cigarette factory and managed to prevent the clandestine stash of a large shipment of contraband tobacco that was intended to be introduced into Spain by sea, a formula abandoned by criminal organizations since the nineties.

All this work to repress tobacco smuggling has made it possible to avoid fraud in customs duties, VAT and Special Taxes of more than 35 million euros and has been completed with the arrest of 145 people and the reporting of 81 alleged smuggling crimes.

Along with this evolution of criminal activity related to tobacco, there has been a significant increase in drug seizures last year, when the Tax Agency seized almost 15 tons of cocaine, 117% more than the previous year. and 139 tons of hashish, 27% more. This increase in arrests coincides with the reactivation, by criminal organizations, of the so-called “Atlantic route” in the case of cocaine, and the opening of the “Eastern Mediterranean route” for hashish. In both cases, the actions carried out have made it possible to intercept consignments on the high seas, which to a large extent are destined for third countries.

 

Economic crimes and money laundering

Another key activity carried out by the Customs and Excise Department of the Tax Agency is the detection and repression of money laundering generated from various criminal activities. In this area, in 2013 the Agency reported a total of 136 alleged money laundering crimes valued at almost 192 million euros, 65.2% more than the previous year, and made 164 arrests.

The work to combat tax fraud carried out by the Customs Department is marked in 2013 by the increase in collaboration with other areas of the Agency established by last year's Tax Control Plan, a strategy that has allowed an increase of 22% the coordinated actions against tax fraud in which Customs has participated (734 in 2013) and 36.8% of its results (195 million euros of identified tax fraud).

The total of economic crimes (tax fraud) and money laundering reported by Customs in 2013 add up to a total estimated value of 387.1 million euros, 49.5% more than the previous year.

In the tax field, the work of Spanish Customs focuses on the control of the taxes that it is responsible for managing (import tariffs, VAT and Special Taxes) from a perspective that is as least intrusive as possible, with the aim of facilitating normal development of foreign trade. Last year, more than 9 million containers entered and left through Spanish ports and 638,000 tons of merchandise circulated through airports.