Police raided 60 sites across North Rhine-Westphalia, including a company in Kaarst, as part of a criminal investigation into suspected tax and money-laundering offences. The operation took place on Thursday morning, with searches starting around 7 a.m. Police said the action involved riot units, special forces and police dogs, as well as investigators from the state office for combating financial crime. Investigators also carried out parallel measures in three other German states and in Switzerland and Spain. The case is led by the Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office. The probe targets seven main suspects in an investigation into alleged commercial and gang-based tax evasion, money laundering, and suspected violations of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act. Authorities allege that money was laundered through an internationally linked company network and that fraudulent value-added tax refunds were obtained. The preliminary estimated damage is in the tens of millions. Police also suspect that luxury vehicles were exported to Russia via third countries while bypassing sanctions. During the operation, several arrest warrants were executed and asset freezes were carried out worth in the tens of millions. No further details about the seized items or the suspects were provided, citing tax secrecy. The investigation is ongoing.