Polish tax and police officers seize 57,000 e-scooters in VAT fraud probe

What investigators say the group did

Poland's National Revenue Administration (KAS) and the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police (CBŚP) say they have broken up an organised criminal group that sold electric scooters over the internet without paying VAT. According to a joint communiqué dated 4 November 2026, the group operated in 2024-2026 and sold the scooters on a large scale through an online trading platform. The lost tax could amount to at least 162 million zloty. The investigation is run by CBŚP officers from Białystok together with the Customs and Fiscal Service, under the supervision of the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin. Investigators have not ruled out further arrests as the case develops.

Raids in Masovia and the seized scooters

In early October 2026, more than 150 officers took part in an operation across the Masovian voivodeship. They detained 16 people and searched five warehouses, along with company premises and the homes of suspects. RMF MAXX reports that the coordinated action took place in the Piaseczno and Mińsk Mazowiecki counties. Those detained were nine Poles, six Chinese citizens and one Belarusian. Officers seized more than 57,000 electric scooters of various models, with a market value estimated at nearly 156 million zloty. KAS spokeswoman Justyna Pasieczyńska made a statement on the scale of the seizure.

“The scale of the undertaking is impressive. Transporting that many scooters would require almost 170 semi-trailer tractor units.”

Cash in the attic and freezer

Officers found a suitcase in the attic of one property belonging to the suspects. It held more than 700 thousand zloty and 300 thousand euro. Part of the cash was also hidden in a freezer. Hera, a service dog from the Podlasie KAS trained to detect cash, helped the officers locate the hidden money. The prosecutor froze more than 5 million zloty in bank accounts. Officers also seized six passenger cars, two semi-trailer tractor units, and batteries and photovoltaic electronics worth more than 6.5 million zloty. RMF MAXX puts the total of cash and account funds secured at over 7 million zloty.

Possible unpaid VAT (at least)162

Seized e-scooters, estimated market value156

Seized photovoltaic electronics (over)6.5

Blocked bank accounts (over)5

Possible unpaid VAT (at least)

162 mln zł

Seized e-scooters, estimated market value

156 mln zł

Seized photovoltaic electronics (over)

6.5 mln zł

Blocked bank accounts (over)

5 mln zł

Data from the article text

Charges and custody

All 16 detained people were brought before the prosecutor in Lublin and charged with participation in an organised criminal group, money laundering and tax offences. Eight of them were placed in temporary custody. Prosecutor's office spokeswoman Beata Syk-Jaworska said the court ordered three months of arrest for five Chinese men and three Poles. A Chinese woman was released under non-custodial measures because of her difficult family situation. The remaining suspects were also given measures short of custody. The investigation is developing, and further detentions are not ruled out.

Scooter safety and what happens next

An RMF MAXX reporter learned unofficially that the seized scooters have no factory speed limiter. They therefore do not meet Polish standards. A court will decide their fate, and they may be auctioned after technical modification. Police and Motor Transport Institute (ITS) data cited by INNPoland recorded 1,158 accidents involving e-scooters in 2025. The same data show that 11 people died in those accidents.