The Národní centrála proti organizovanému zločinu (NCOZ) is a Czech police unit focused on uncovering organised crime. [1]
Role in the VAT fraud investigation
NCOZ took part in an investigation conducted under the code name Záblesk, which targeted a group of people suspected of importing electronics over a long period from third countries, including Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and the USA, into the European Union via companies based in the Czech Republic. [1][2]
According to the investigators' findings, the companies declared deliveries of goods to companies based in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, which carried out no real activity, did not take delivery of the goods and did not pay for them. [2][3]
The goods were in fact transported to warehouses near the Ukrainian border, where other persons collected them and handled them further without paying the value added tax due. [1][2]
Indictment in October 2026
On the basis of the investigation, in which NCOZ also took part, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Ostrava indicted four persons on 7 October 2026 and asked the Municipal Court in Prague to approve plea agreements for four further suspects. [2][3]
According to EPPO, the damage caused by the fraudulent scheme exceeds CZK 4.8 billion, which, in the office's own words, makes the case one of the largest VAT frauds in the Czech Republic to date. [2][3]
Chronology
- — The Národní centrála proti organizovanému zločinu charged two people with investment fraud connected with investments in aquaponic farms; according to the police the damage amounts to two billion crowns and about 5,000 clients were harmed, and both defendants are in custody. → ČTK / České noviny iDNES.cz: Brno
- — The Olomouc High Court rejected an appeal by lawyer Kárim Titz against the freezing of more than 1.2 million koruna in his bank accounts in the bitcoin case and upheld the ruling of the Brno Regional Court. Seznam Zprávy iDNES.cz
Sources
- Novinky.cz — 7 October 2026
- Hospodářské noviny — 7 October 2026
- Echo24 — 7 October 2026