The Spanish Tax Agency has dismantled a criminal network that defrauded over 300 million euros in VAT from the hydrocarbons sector using 38 shell companies. Operation 'Pamplinas Stars' involved 18 searches and five arrests for crimes against public finances, organized crime, and money laundering. Authorities seized high-value assets, including properties, vehicles, and precious metals.
The Spanish Tax Agency has struck a major blow against fraud in the hydrocarbons sector by dismantling a complex network operating through 38 shell companies. This macro-scheme is accused of defrauding over 300 million euros in VAT during 2024 and spanned the entire country, ranking as one of the two largest such plots dismantled to date.
The probe started in mid-2024, focusing on a wholesale operator that began large-scale hydrocarbon sales in late 2023. Prior to the January 2025 regulatory change requiring monthly declarations via the SII for firms in the Hydrocarbons Extractors Registry (Redef), the operator filed quarterly returns and manipulated VAT: underreporting output tax relative to actual sales and overstating input tax. It used fictitious firms to invoice end customers, charging VAT without remitting it to the Treasury.
After deregistering the first operator in mid-2024, the network shifted to a second in October, defrauding 123 million euros in one month, and a third in December, shut down after five days. Operation 'Pamplinas Stars', involving over 160 officials, conducted 18 searches across twelve locations in seven provinces, arresting five key figures, including a leader already imprisoned.
Seized assets include 42 properties, 82 vehicles, two boats, hundreds of bank accounts, cryptocurrencies, cash, artworks, luxury items, and 180 kilograms of precious metals like gold and silver. The setup featured straw men and legal firms to launder proceeds abroad and buy new Redef-registered companies, enabling rapid low-price sales expansion and market distortion.
The investigation, led by Investigating Court No. 4 of the National Court and coordinated by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, continues to unravel the full plot.
