Federal government launches `Operation Asia` to combat foreign trade fraud worth billions

On Wednesday, June 17th, the Federal Revenue Service and the Federal Police launched `Operation Asia`, with the objective of combating the under-invoicing scheme for goods imported mainly from Asian countries, by tax evasion and irregular shipment of goods through foreign exchange brokers. The operation targets the scheme’s leaders, companies used by groups being investigated, and stakeholders who register under-invoiced statements and submit false documents to Customs Authorities.

The investigations started when Internal Revenue Tax Auditors identified groups of customs agents that, on a recurring and ongoing basis, registered fraudulent import declarations with values ​​lower than those actually paid, which constitutes the crime of misappropriation. In addition to crimes against the tax order, evidence of crimes of money laundering, foreign exchange evasion, criminal association, and ideological falsehood were identified.

During the course of the work, the tax auditors also detected the fraudulent interposition of third parties, with the use of trading companies abroad and in Brazil used to appear in the Import Declarations as substitutes for the actual exporters or importers. The performance of “consultants in foreign trade” who have offices in countries such as China and the United States and promote contact between Brazilian importers and suppliers abroad already integrated into the under-invoicing scheme, offering a complete package of services, which included identification of the products at the origin, the issuance of documentation with under-invoiced values, the execution of export procedures abroad and importation in Brazil and even the irregular shipment of the omitted item abroad.

The investigative work estimates the damage to public coffers resulting from these practices at over half a billion reais and the volume of funds illegally sent abroad exceed R$5 billion. Two temporary prison sentences are being fulfilled in relation to these crimes and 35 investigative and arrest warrants have been issued by the 11th Federal Court of Fortaleza.

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