A large-scale operation targeting a suspected network of cleaning service providers was conducted across Germany on Wednesday. Approximately 450 officers from the Federal Central Bureau of Investigation for Tax Fraud (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit) executed searches at 40 locations in seven federal states.
The operation, announced by the Hamburg Main Customs Office, focused on two primary suspects and eleven other individuals allegedly providing cleaning services, primarily to hotels. Searches occurred in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Berlin, Bremen, Hessen (Hesse) and Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia).
Investigators seized substantial evidence including payroll records, invoices and computer equipment. Specialist units secured access to one location due to a potential hazard situation. The suspects are alleged to have operated a company network to conceal employment relationships and to evade social security contributions.
Preliminary estimates suggest the potential financial losses for social security funds could reach the seven-figure range, according to a spokesperson for the Hamburg Main Customs Office. The investigation, being led by the Hamburg Public Prosecutor’s Office, is ongoing.