Car thefts, drug trafficking… the Ministries of Economy and Justice take stock.
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They would do well without it, but the services of Bruno Le Maire in the Economy and Eric Dupond-Moretti in Justice are rubbing their hands. Each year reserves its share of surprises in the seizures of criminal property and assets (stolen cars, drug trafficking, income from pimping or the sums released by tax evaders). It’s’Agency for the recovery of seized and confiscated assets (Agarsc) which tracks them. The agency is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Seizures have doubled in one year. According to this agency’s activity report, collections amounted to just over 480 million euros, up 200 million over one year, or roughly double that of 2020. seizures of bank accounts. There have been antigen test scams, many debts linked to real estate sales, embezzlement of restaurant tickets, retirement pensions.
Sign of the times, the tax police have managed to unmask a cybercriminal network organizing a cryptocurrency auction. We know the hyper-speculative nature of these currencies intended to circumvent national currencies. This is speculation within speculation. Seizures of digital assets have tripled between 2020 and 2021: 48 million euros seized on operations carried out only in France.
The agency in question explains in nice terms that its role is to ensure that “crime does not pay”. But if the State is happy to collect the sums seized, it also restores a lot of money to the defrauded parties. The millions seized also make it possible each year to finance the fund for the fight against drugs or that against prostitution.