Luxury cars, of brands that included Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maybach and Maserati, amounting to a whopping P1.4 billion, are now in the possession of the Bureau of Customs (BoC), as these posh cars lack proper documentation that would prove that their entry to the country was paid by proper tariffs.
On Thursday, personnel of BoC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) stormed warehouses in Pasay City and Parañaque City after receiving reports and photos of allegedly smuggled luxury vehicles being sold online from its sources.
The team was instructed to take appropriate action to verify the legitimacy of its respective importation and ascertain whether correct duties and taxes due thereon were duly paid.
The BoC identified the sellers as AC Che Gong Miao in Pasay City and TopCar Specialist and Trading Corp. in Parañaque City.
“This seizure signals a significant shift in the operational strategies of the BoC, indicating that we will soon witness a more aggressive and proactive approach in our enforcement efforts. It sends a message to all importers who think they’re already safe after their products have exited the ports. We want them to know that we have eyes everywhere. We are not stopping, and we are not slowing down. We’re always one step ahead of them,” BoC commissioner Bien Rubio said.
CIIS director Verne Enciso confirmed that luxury vehicles were found in the locations when the BoC-CIIS team arrived at AC Che Gong Miao and TopCar Specialist and Trading Inc. and served the Letters of Authority (LoAs) and Mission Orders (MOs) to the representatives.
“When we received the tip about these vehicles early this month, we immediately verified the information and processed the issuance of the appropriate orders to conduct the operation,” he said.
Director Enciso shared that some of the brands found in the AC Che Gong Miao location in Pasay City were units of Ferrari LaFerrari, Lamborghini McLaren, Maserati, Rolls Royce, Mercedez Benz, Maybach, Range Rover, Bentley, Alphard and Jeep Wrangler.
At the TopCar Specialist and Trading Inc. in Parañaque City, the team found luxury vehicles including Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Ferrari SF90 Stradale and Mansory, Mercedes-Benz V-Class, Maybach and BMW.
Even as he commended his team, Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group Juvymax Uy was resolute in saying that the BoC needed to do more to ensure strict compliance with customs laws, rules and regulations, and collection of rightful duties and taxes due the government.
The team sealed the warehouse doors and assigned duty personnel to secure the premises.
The owners, lessees, lessors, occupants, representatives, or parties operating the warehouses were given 15 days from the receipt of the LoAs to submit the necessary documents proving that duties and taxes were paid correctly.
If found without proper documents, they will face charges in violation of Sections 1400, 1401 concerning Section 1113 of Republic Act 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.