The Bureau of Customs (BOC) of the Philippines recently conducted an operation in Makati City and confiscated 17 luxury cars suspected of being smuggled or with missing documents, with a total value of 3.66 billion pesos. The operation was conducted by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) based on a tip, and is yet another major arrest against the smuggling of high-end vehicles.
Among the confiscated cars are the Ferrari 488 Spider, 812 Superfast, Porsche Targa, Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, BMW M4, Lexus LC500, and other well-known luxury brands. It also includes two Toyota Alphard luxury vans and an MV Agusta Brutale 1000RR motorcycle.
Authorities have imposed a lockdown on the showroom and garage, and they plan to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the origin of the vehicles and their taxes. The BOC asked vehicle owners to submit documents proving they were legally imported and taxes paid within 15 days. Failing this, they can take further action based on the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
According to BOC officials, the license plates of some vehicles showed owners who were citizens from China. Authorities suspect that these luxury cars may be related to the current exodus of offshore gaming operators (POGO) in the Philippines, where some foreign businessmen are rushing to sell assets to avoid investigation or to get out of the country immediately.
It is important to note that last year, the BOC also confiscated smuggled luxury cars worth 1.4 billion pesos in Pasay and Paranaque, showing the increasing cases of illegal trade of luxury cars in the country.
However, car dealerships affected by the operation complained and insisted that the vehicles were not illegally imported or sold by the company, but were legal assets sent to them by the owners to sell. According to a representative of the car dealership, "All the documents are in the possession of the vehicle owner, and we do not have complete information about the importation of the vehicles. The operation has a great impact on our business, and we hope that there will be a fair investigation."
Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio praised the operation and said it shows the government's determination to strengthen anti-smuggling measures. He noted, "No matter what method the smugglers use, we will go after them to the end and make sure that illegal vehicles do not enter the market."
As of now, the investigation is ongoing and the BOC said they will expand their operation to completely destroy the illegal luxury car trade networks.
