Given that with each package of sanctions adopted by the European Union (EU), the list of sanctioned goods increases, the number of attempts to circumvent the restrictions is also growing, while in practice these violations are often associated with the activities of enterprises from other EU countries using Latvia for transit, reports the State Revenue Service (SRS).
Since 2022, the State Revenue Service (SRS) has initiated 637 criminal proceedings for violations of the sanctions imposed by the EU, of which 32 have been forwarded for prosecution. Currently, there are 318 criminal proceedings regarding possible violations of sanctions under the jurisdiction of the SRS, and these cases constitute a significant part of the institution's overall workload.
In investigating such criminal proceedings, cooperation with other countries is often necessary, which affects the duration of the processes, as evidence collection and identification of individuals occur across multiple jurisdictions.
The SRS notes that in such cases, it is important not only to identify violations but also to address property issues in a timely manner to prevent sanctioned goods from entering illegal circulation, including into the hands of the aggressor country.
In such criminal proceedings, special confiscation of property is applied, where the investigator, with the prosecutor's consent, approaches the court with a proposal to recognize the sanctioned goods as property related to a criminal offense, to confiscate it, and to allocate the proceeds from its sale to the state budget.
For example, in January 2026, the Latgale Court confiscated a tractor unit valued at approximately 74,000 euros, in February the Riga City Court confiscated stone slabs worth about 15,000 euros, at the end of March the Latgale Court confiscated 36 packages of steel grids valued at around 51,000 euros, at the end of April the Riga City Court confiscated electronic devices worth over 40,000 euros, and the Latgale District Court confiscated additives for gasoline engines valued at approximately 128,000 euros.
Some of the vehicles confiscated in criminal proceedings, such as tractor units and semi-trailers, are transferred to support Ukraine.
Since 2022, the total value of property seized in criminal proceedings, which the courts have recognized as related to criminal offenses and subject to confiscation, has amounted to about 4.8 million euros, and the financial proceeds have been allocated to the state budget.
Currently, there are about 30 initiated SRS proceedings regarding property related to criminal offenses in the courts of Latvia.
The EU has also approved the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, continuing to increase pressure to end aggression against Ukraine.
The new sanctions aim to prevent circumvention of sanctions and include broad measures in the areas of energy, finance, trade, and information space, as well as affecting enterprises and individuals who support the Russian military industry or help circumvent sanctions, including in third countries.
