BOC finds PHP 1.4B worth of potentially smuggled cars

BOC gives dealer 15 days to provide necessary import docs

The Bureau of Customs seems to have caught a big fish in its fight against smuggling.

The government agency recently found a warehouse full of imported luxury vehicles in Pasay City and Parañaque City during an operation of its (BOC) Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) team.

BOC says the luxury vehicles – which consist of various models made by the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Maybach, and Maserati, were being posted online by a pre-owned car dealer. The BOC-CIIS were instructed to take appropriate action to verify if the vehicles indeed had the necessary import documents along with checking if duties and taxes were paid.

The cars are estimated to be worth PHP 1.4 billion, but a final list will be released once BOC finishes the inventory of the allegedly smuggled vehicles.

For now, the BOC-CIIS team has sealed the warehouse doors and assigned duty personnel to secure the premises as the car dealer was given 15 days to prove that the vehicles have the necessary import documents and paid the correct taxes. BOC will then have the right to seize the high-end vehicles for impounding should the dealer fail to provide the valid documents.