On September 10, 2025, the Italian financial police (Guardia di Finanza) announced Operation ‘Epicentro’, which led to the preventive seizure of assets and financial resources belonging to ten companies and nine individuals.
The investigation, covering the years 2018–2023, is supervised by the Turin prosecutor’s office and involves two business groups primarily operating in the logistics sector – Postalcoop and Cargo Broker (the latter in liquidation since 2024).
According to findings, the enterprises had created a system based on illegally providing workers under fictitious service contracts. The aim was to reduce labour costs and evade taxes and social security contributions.
Fraud mechanism – from “reservoirs” to clients
Investigators reconstructed a scheme based on three levels:
- ‘Reservoir’ companies – shell companies that formally employed workers but did not pay taxes or contributions.
- ‘Filtering’ companies – entities invoicing costs and protecting actual business relationships.
- Client companies – large logistics operators active in Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Liguria, Lazio, and Emilia-Romagna.
Through this mechanism, clients gained access to cheap labour, without incurring real tax and contribution costs. The Guardia di Finanza estimates that annually over two thousand workers were involved in this scheme – mainly in warehousing and distribution.
Employees ‘on paper’
Although formally employed by intermediary companies, actual control of the personnel remained with the clients. They determined the working hours, number of employees, provided mobile devices and distribution materials, and even exercised disciplinary authority.
As a result, the system – according to investigators – masked illegal forms of employment and generated significant losses for the state budget while simultaneously reducing operational costs for large logistics companies.
Fake invoices and confiscated assets
The analysis of electronic and paper documents revealed non-existent transactions amounting to over €100 million. Issued invoices documented services that did not correspond to actual employment and deliveries.
In response, the court in Turin ordered:
- the confiscation of assets worth €26.5 million,
- the seizure of cash, real estate, and movable property belonging to the suspects,
- the establishment of judicial oversight over one of the main ‘filtering’ companies, employing over 500 people.
The aim is to limit the impact of the criminal activity and preserve operational continuity – especially in the logistics sector, crucial for the region.
Rhenus Logistics charged – €43m seized
Just two months earlier, in July 2025, the prosecution in Milan and the Guardia di Finanza targeted another TSL industry giant – Rhenus Logistics.
Investigators accuse the company of employing a system of fictitious contracts and ‘shell’ companies aimed at concealing actual employment relationships and evading taxes.
At the prosecutor’s request, assets worth over €43 million have been secured. Findings indicate that workers were formally employed by external companies, yet performed tasks under the control of the clients.
Documents mention companies from the IKEA group as service recipients, although investigators emphasize that the corporation is not subject to the proceedings.
This is another blow to global operators – let us recall that already in July 2024, the Guardia di Finanza confiscated €83.9 million from the GXO branch in Lodi, where similar schemes were used.
Logistics under scrutiny
The series of high-profile cases – from GXO to Rhenus, and on to Postalcoop and Cargo Broker – shows that logistics in Italy remains one of the sectors most vulnerable to tax abuses and illegal employment practices.
Investigators highlight that the problem does not only concern shell companies but also established, global logistics operators, who use dishonest schemes to lower costs.
At this stage, all proceedings are in the preliminary phase, and the presumption of innocence applies. However, the implications for the market may be significant – ranging from reputational damage to potential disruptions in supply chains.
