With drones, an underwater ROV, anti-smuggling vessels, and digital cross-checks using banks, Taxis, and social media, the new “DEOS” service of Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) is entering aggressively into the hunt for large-scale tax evasion and economic crime. The new General Directorate of Financial Transaction Control Forces is now taking on the role of a “special operations” unit, targeting organized smuggling rings, illegal capital flows, and suspicious transactions.
According to the AADE Operational Plan for 2026, DEOS is planning at least 39,300 inspections and investigations during the year, with 450 specialized auditors collecting and cross-checking data from every available source. The new service was created to unify responsibilities that had until now been scattered across the tax inspection mechanism, so that inspections can be conducted faster, more precisely, and through a common operational center.
AADE’s new “arsenal” resembles an organized crime enforcement agency more than a traditional tax authority. DEOS possesses six aerial drones and an additional underwater ROV drone, which will be used this year in at least 18 maritime enforcement operations, mainly to detect fuel smuggling and suspicious cargo. At the same time, it has three anti-smuggling vessels, a fixed X-ray system for parcels and luggage, 36 portable cameras, endoscopes, radiation detection systems, special vehicles, and even operational surveillance equipment.
Particular emphasis is also being placed on the Maritime Control Unit, which will conduct at least 400 inspections during 2026, including 60 using Customs Service anti-smuggling vessels. The main focus is fuel smuggling, where AADE believes millions of euros in tax revenue are still being lost.
However, DEOS is not limited only to customs and tax violations. The new service also has jurisdiction over detecting illegal trafficking of drugs, weapons, explosives, antiquities, and cultural goods, while participating in money laundering investigations and cases involving illegal capital movements. At the same time, it conducts inspections related to undeclared labor and violations of labor insurance legislation, informing the Labor Inspectorate accordingly.
Within only a few months of full operation, the new service has already carried out a series of high-profile operations. At the end of March, DEOS inspectors uncovered six educational institutions in Attica, Chania, and Ioannina that were issuing uncertified degrees and adult education certificates. According to the investigation, these businesses had earned illegal profits of €3.2 million over roughly two years.
A few days later, DEOS dismantled an organized international cigarette smuggling ring, conducting operations in apartments in Athens and Eastern Attica. Inspectors located and seized 6,500 packs of smuggled cigarettes from major brands and made arrests. According to investigative information, the tobacco products arrived from Turkey and were then distributed to other European countries through an organized network.
In mid-April, another operation drew major attention: nationwide inspections of luxury supercars. Using information from toll stations, customs offices, and digital risk-analysis tools, DEOS inspectors carried out raids at dealerships, car lots, parking facilities, and high-traffic businesses. The result was the seizure of 229 luxury vehicles worth more than €10 million, including Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles, with some valued at more than €750,000. Violations ranged from illegal registration and undervaluation to issues involving tax residency, asset declarations, and source-of-funds documentation.
The information utilized by DEOS now comes from a vast digital network of cross-checks. The service draws data from Taxis, EFKA, GEMI, banks, customs systems, and information databases, while named and anonymous citizen complaints continue to play a significant role. Even social media posts are being scrutinized, as they often reveal cases of unjustified wealth or activities inconsistent with declared income.
AADE’s operational plan for 2026 includes, among other things, 18,000 on-site preventive inspections, 14,500 enforcement inspections by mobile units, 900 investigations into intra-community VAT fraud, 800 inspections related to money laundering and asset recovery, and 600 operations involving the trafficking of drugs, weapons, explosives, and antiquities.
DEOS is also strengthening cooperation with international organizations such as Europol, Interpol, and European Anti-Fraud Office, aiming for faster information exchange regarding international economic crime and smuggling networks.
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