An investigation led by the EPPO in Athens, Greece resulted in the largest container seizure in the EU to date. A total of 2435 shipping containers, primarily containing e-bikes, textiles, and footwear, were seized at the Port of Piraeus. The goods, which are estimated to be worth €250 million, were allegedly fraudulently imported from China into the EU in order to evade customs duties and VAT. Conservatively, the damage to the EU budget from the e-bikes alone is estimated at €25 million in unpaid customs duties and €12.5 million in VAT losses.

The seizure was part of the long-running Calypso investigation targeting several criminal networks. These networks, which are mainly controlled by Chinese nationals, manage the entire supply chain of goods imported from China into the EU, including distribution across Member States and sales to end customers. They evade customs duties and commit large-scale VAT fraud and money laundering, sending the profits back to China. The first raids happened end of June 2025. The EPPO in Greece brought first charges against six individuals involved in the fraudulent scheme on 15 September 2025.