Searches
took place at businesses and private homes in Preston,
Warrington, Rochdale, Birmingham and Leicester.
Investigations
centred on the import of counterfeit goods and the alleged
overvaluation of exports, leading to false claims for VAT
repayments.
Those
arrested in Lancashire, five men and four women aged between
24 and 57, were being interviewed by police and customs
officers throughout Thursday.
Four
more people were arrested in the West Midlands.
The
operation by Lancashire Police and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
was the culmination of a "protracted and complex"
investigation, HMRC said.
False claims
Martin Greening, of HMRC North West, said: "The
misdescription and overvaluation of goods for export has
resulted in false claims running into millions of
pounds."
Det Ch Supt Graham Gardner, of Lancashire Constabulary, said
the investigation had examined "many different types of
alleged criminality", including counterfeit goods, money
laundering and VAT fraud.
Part of the complex inquiry is believed to include the import
and export of goods as part of so-called "carousel"
fraud.
Under carousel fraud, items are "bought" in a series
of contrived transactions - where VAT should be collected -
and then sold on, although the goods can often only exist on
paper.
At that point the next trader in the circle can submit a claim
for the repayment of the VAT that was never collected in the
first place.
So
