Headline:
Nine charged in £250 million VAT fraud operation
Description:
Nine charged in £250 million VAT fraud operation
Following UK-wide arrests by HM Revenue & Customs this morning, nine men have been charged with cheating the public revenue. They are:
* Curtis Laurent (dob 30.9.58) Cardiff.
* Marcus Hughes (8.9.70) Uttoxeter.
* Keith Bennett (4.8.61) Beaconsfield.
* Hashib Apabhai (20.4.60) Bedworth.
* Mohammed Novsarka (15.3.61) Warwickshire.
* Peter Ebbrell (13.5.51) Coventry.
* Keith Ponder (20.11.50) Beaconsfield.
* Amir Naghibossadat (6.9.70) London.
* Sampson Goldstone (17.4.75) Cheshire.
In addition, Apabhai, Novsarka and Goldstone have been charged with money laundering offences.
Goldstone was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Monday 5 February 2007 and subsequently charged. He appeared at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court on 5 February and remains in custody.
The remaining eight men are due to appear at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court , Wednesday 7 February.
A tenth man arrested earlier today is still being interviewed by Revenue & Customs investigators.
A 37 year-old woman was arrested late afternoon in connection with the investigation.
Prosecutors now working in the independent Revenue & Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) have been actively involved throughout the five-year investigation assembling the case against those charged today.
Notes for editors
The original HMRC news release on this operation was issued this morning. It said: Customs officers investigating a suspected £250 million VAT missing trader fraud made 10 arrests this morning in UK-wide raids.
Codenamed Operation Euripus, today's action follows a five year investigation, which included one of the biggest swoops ever undertaken by Customs. In July 2003, 350 officers raided 93 premises across the UK and Spain, and made 42 arrests.
The unprecedented scale of that operation led to a vast amount of material which has been analysed over the last three years. More than half a million documents have been systematically examined, along with the hard drives of 391 computers, with a combined data capacity of 28 Terabytes.
Today's arrests took place across England and Wales, and all ten men are being brought to London police stations. Further arrests are expected and searches will continue at one address in Nuneaton. In addition, European arrest warrants have been issued in France and Spain against four individuals.
Euan Stewart, Deputy Director, Criminal Investigation for HM Revenue & Customs said:
"Tackling missing trader fraud is HMRC's top priority. We have a duty to protect the revenue given the scale and nature of the attack we are seeing. Today's arrests follow years of painstaking effort by dedicated officers. The sophistication of the organised crime gangs behind these frauds means that our investigations are increasingly complex but we are committed to bringing the criminals behind it to justice and to recovering the money stolen from the British taxpayer, wherever in the world our investigations lead. This not a victimless crime it is organised crime that causes real harm."
Those arrested are believed to be part of a sophisticated network of companies that 'carouselled' large quantities of mobile phones, buying them VAT-free from the continent to supply to businesses in the UK, and then defaulting without paying the VAT due.
Issued by HM Revenue & Customs Press Office
Following UK-wide arrests by HM Revenue & Customs this morning, nine men have been charged with cheating the public revenue. They are:
* Curtis Laurent (dob 30.9.58) Cardiff.
* Marcus Hughes (8.9.70) Uttoxeter.
* Keith Bennett (4.8.61) Beaconsfield.
* Hashib Apabhai (20.4.60) Bedworth.
* Mohammed Novsarka (15.3.61) Warwickshire.
* Peter Ebbrell (13.5.51) Coventry.
* Keith Ponder (20.11.50) Beaconsfield.
* Amir Naghibossadat (6.9.70) London.
* Sampson Goldstone (17.4.75) Cheshire.
In addition, Apabhai, Novsarka and Goldstone have been charged with money laundering offences.
Goldstone was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Monday 5 February 2007 and subsequently charged. He appeared at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court on 5 February and remains in custody.
The remaining eight men are due to appear at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court , Wednesday 7 February.
A tenth man arrested earlier today is still being interviewed by Revenue & Customs investigators.
A 37 year-old woman was arrested late afternoon in connection with the investigation.
Prosecutors now working in the independent Revenue & Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) have been actively involved throughout the five-year investigation assembling the case against those charged today.
Notes for editors
The original HMRC news release on this operation was issued this morning. It said: Customs officers investigating a suspected £250 million VAT missing trader fraud made 10 arrests this morning in UK-wide raids.
Codenamed Operation Euripus, today's action follows a five year investigation, which included one of the biggest swoops ever undertaken by Customs. In July 2003, 350 officers raided 93 premises across the UK and Spain, and made 42 arrests.
The unprecedented scale of that operation led to a vast amount of material which has been analysed over the last three years. More than half a million documents have been systematically examined, along with the hard drives of 391 computers, with a combined data capacity of 28 Terabytes.
Today's arrests took place across England and Wales, and all ten men are being brought to London police stations. Further arrests are expected and searches will continue at one address in Nuneaton. In addition, European arrest warrants have been issued in France and Spain against four individuals.
Euan Stewart, Deputy Director, Criminal Investigation for HM Revenue & Customs said:
"Tackling missing trader fraud is HMRC's top priority. We have a duty to protect the revenue given the scale and nature of the attack we are seeing. Today's arrests follow years of painstaking effort by dedicated officers. The sophistication of the organised crime gangs behind these frauds means that our investigations are increasingly complex but we are committed to bringing the criminals behind it to justice and to recovering the money stolen from the British taxpayer, wherever in the world our investigations lead. This not a victimless crime it is organised crime that causes real harm."
Those arrested are believed to be part of a sophisticated network of companies that 'carouselled' large quantities of mobile phones, buying them VAT-free from the continent to supply to businesses in the UK, and then defaulting without paying the VAT due.
Issued by HM Revenue & Customs Press Office
Date:
13.02.2007
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