The European Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday that it had uncovered the largest cross-border VAT fraud scheme ever investigated in the EU, worth around €2.2 billion.

The case began in April 2021 in Portugal, where local authorities were investigating a company that sold mobile phones, tablets, headphones and other electronic devices.

The Portuguese company was the tip of the iceberg. Additional investigations by prosecutors revealed that nearly 9,000 companies and more than 600 individuals were involved in the fraud scheme.

In their list, according to the announcement of the Office, there are companies and individuals from Albania.

According to the EU agency, the file shows an “extraordinary complexity of the chain of companies” involved in this scheme.

VAT fraud schemes are considered among the most profitable crimes in the European Union, causing financial damage of up to 50 billion euros every year.

In Albania, the damage of VAT fraud schemes that have been discovered in the last five years amount to 66 million euros.