Italian Firm Charged with Smuggling Chinese Garlic through Bulgaria

Crime | April 25, 2008, Friday // 00:00

An Italian firm is put on trial in the northern city of Piacenza over allegations of smuggling Chinese garlic through Bulgaria in the town of Monticelli, prontosofia.com reported.

The firm Delfanti Import-Export is charged with the importation of large quantities of garlic from China, which was first imported into Bulgaria in order to avoid the import duties.

In 2001-2003, when the firm's garlic trade in question took place, Bulgaria had an agreement with the EU, which allowed it import garlic into EU member states duty-free.

Thus, Delfanti is accused of evading customs duties for EUR 7-8 M through importing the Chinese garlic from Bulgaria by deliberately using its duty-free import agreement with the EU.

The defense claims that the defendants were not aware of the fact that the garlic they bought in Bulgaria had originated in China.

The former head of the Financial Guard in Piacenza, Alessandro Lucchini, is one of the key witnesses of the trial. Lucchini even traveled to Bulgaria in order to investigate the road of the garlic.

In 2003 his service was notified that the import of Chinese garlic to Bulgaria had increased, and that at the same time Italy had been the only EU country importing significant quantities of Bulgarian garlic.

The inspection of the Financial Guard found that in 2001 Delfanti imported a total of 1 ton of garlic, 65% of which came from Bulgaria, and 25% came directly from China.

In 2002, however, it imported 2,5 tons of garlic, 90% of which came from Bulgaria, which was found to have originated in China during the ensuing investigation in Bulgaria.

The next hearing on the trial is on May 27.

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