by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor

EU authorities carried out a raid in Greece at the end of June 2025, seizing 2435 containers at the Port of Piraeus.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Athens stated on 15 September that it had brought charges against six individuals, including two customs officers.

The individuals were suspected of involvement in “criminal networks flooding the EU market with goods fraudulently imported from China while evading customs duties and VAT.”

According to the EPPO, the containers primarily contained e-bikes, textiles, and footwear worth at least EUR 250 million. The seizure was described as the largest container seizure to date in the EU. 

The EPPO’s investigation targeted several networks that manage the entire circuit of goods imported from China into the EU, including distribution across Member States and sales to end customers.

The first 500 containers were seized during the June raid. An additional 1935 containers were seized upon arrival at the port of Piraeus after being in transit to the EU.

The office reports that the 2435 seized containers are currently undergoing inspection, and Greek customs authorities have opened only a limited number of them.