The Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the Philippines recently launched a raid in Makati City, seizing 17 luxury vehicles suspected of smuggling or lacking proper documentation, with a total value of up to 3.66 billion pesos.
This operation, initiated by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) based on intelligence, has become another significant case targeting high-end smuggled vehicles recently.
In this raid, the law enforcement officers confiscated vehicles including Ferrari 488 Spider, 812 Superfast, Porsche Targa, Mercedes G63 AMG, BMW M4, Lexus LC500, among other renowned brands. Additionally, two Toyota Alphard luxury vans and one MV Agusta Brutale 1000RR motorcycle were also included in the seizure list.
Law enforcement has sealed off the showroom and garage and plans to conduct a detailed inventory in the presence of multiple witnesses to determine the import origin and tax status of all vehicles. The customs authority has requested the responsible parties to submit documents proving the vehicles' legal importation and tax payment within 15 days, otherwise further actions will be taken under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
According to customs officials, the registration information of some seized vehicles shows that many owners are Chinese citizens. Law enforcement suspects that these luxury cars may be related to the recent withdrawal of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), with some foreign operators eager to sell off assets to avoid investigation or expedite departure.
It is noteworthy that the customs had previously seized smuggled luxury cars worth 1.4 billion pesos in Pasay and Paranaque cities, indicating the rampant phenomenon of illegal luxury car trading in recent years.
However, the car dealership targeted in the raid expressed dissatisfaction, insisting that these vehicles were not illegally imported or sold by the company, but were legally consigned assets entrusted by the owners. A representative of the dealership stated in a media interview: "All procedures are held by the owners, we do not possess complete import information of the vehicles. The law enforcement action has severely impacted our business, and we hope the government will conduct a fair investigation."
Bien Rubio, the Director of Customs, highly commended this operation, reflecting the government's determination to strengthen anti-smuggling efforts. He emphasized: "No matter how smugglers hide, we will track them down to ensure that illegally imported vehicles do not enter the market."
The case is still under further investigation, and the customs authority stated that it will continue to expand its crackdown to ensure that the illegal luxury car trading chain is completely destroyed.
