Italian financial police have seized nearly 7,000 electric scooters imported from China and illegally marketed as pedal-assist bicycles across the country, in a crackdown on vehicles that bypassed European safety standards.
The Guardia di Finanza executed the seizure on a decree from the Palmi tribunal in Calabria, targeting Fedele Vitale, 83, and his company Eurosud, both based in Palermo. Investigators allege the pair committed commercial fraud and falsification of public documents, importing at least 6,885 vehicles with forged compliance documentation since 2023 for an estimated market value of roughly 5 million euros. Sealed warehouses spanned Palermo, Catania, Bari, Naples, Sardinia, Tuscany and Lombardy.
The scooters, lacking valid CE marking, could reach speeds of 60 km/h with a simple twist of the throttle — far exceeding the 25 km/h legal limit for pedal-assist bicycles. In Palermo alone, 108 road accidents involving non-homologated electric bicycles were recorded during 2024 and 2025.