The Viareggio Guardia di Finanza group and the Pisa Guardia di Finanza company have executed six precautionary detention orders, including three in prison and three under house arrest, issued by the Court of Florence against members of a criminal organization dedicated to the counterfeiting of luxury watches, both domestically and abroad. The investigations of the service operation “Right time”, coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Florence, arose from a series of seizures of watches of well-known brands, including Rolex, Panerai, Bulova, Chanel, Locman, Omega, Tag Heur, Patek Philip, Audemars Piguet, Cartier and Vacheron Constantine, carried out by the Corps Departments in Viareggio, Tarvisio and Pisa. The organization, based in Campania, made use of operational bases in central Tuscany, from which, through wholesalers and buyers, it supplied the areas of San Marino, Tarvisio, Rimini, Olbia, Naples, Viareggio and the main squares of Lombardy with counterfeit products. The trade of fakes, as reconstructed by the Gdf investigators, took place through two types of channels: one so-called 'superior', with the online sale and/or on request of the most demanding buyers of watches that perfectly reproduced the product similar to the original and whose price could even be around 300 euros; the other called 'low cost', sold at local markets and tourist squares, managed by Senegalese citizens, with watches sold up to 30 euros each. During the operations, the Viareggio and Pisan financiers reconstructed the supply chain of luxury watches, coming from Austria, and imported into Italy, using specially modified cars. In order to carry out the transport to Italy, in fact, the organization used mechanics specialized in modifying the cars in which to hide the counterfeit goods, by preparing additional compartments artfully created. Once in Italy, the watches were then resold to Tuscan and San Marino wholesalers, or advertised on the web on online shop windows at significantly advantageous prices. In order to provide a 'clean' traceability of black market sales, the criminal organization used shell companies registered to penniless individuals who, through the issuing of false invoices, justified the related earnings. On the other hand, in order to increase their profits, the astute entrepreneurs also made use of shell companies that, benefiting from the tax breaks provided for by the Schengen area, purchased in Europe at reduced prices and resold in Italy without paying the relevant VAT to the Treasury. The investigations have also highlighted the existence of a criminal association composed of a cell from Campania, mainly dedicated to supplies, a cell from Viareggio dedicated to trade in the respective tourist areas and finally a cell from San Marino, for distribution on the Rimini side. The preventive detention in prison was issued against those who were considered to be the leaders of the organization, who in various capacities were involved in the illegal importation of watches, sales from abroad and marketing in Italy. Instead, the three entrepreneurs who managed the online sales circuit of the products via the web, the commercial consultant, the de facto manager of the company, and the person in charge of shipping the goods were placed under house arrest. At the end of the investigation, 32 individuals were charged, acting in various capacities as suppliers, wholesalers/sellers, and recipients of the illegal products. 12.000 counterfeit watches and labels, as well as two vehicles intended for transportation, were seized. Seven legal representatives of the shell companies used to commit VAT fraud and the issuing/use of invoices for non-existent transactions were also reported.
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