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The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on February 9 destroyed 10 new and used luxury vehicles worth a total of P45.2 million and seized in previous years by various collection districts as part of its 119th founding anniversary celebration
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The vehicles between 2015 and 2020 from the United States, Belgium, Japan, and South Korea
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on February 9 destroyed 10 luxury vehicles, both new and used, worth a total of P45.2 million and seized in previous years by various collection districts as part of the agency’s 119th founding anniversary celebration.
The destroyed vehicles included a used Ford F-150 Super SVT Can Raptor Pick Up; a brand-new 2015 Toyota Landcruiser; and a used 2007 Bentley Continental GT. These cars were seized by BOC-Manila International Container Port (MICP) in August 2015, November 2017, and January 2019, respectively.
Also part of the condemnation were five used luxury vehicles seized by BOC-Cebu in 2019. These were a Land Rover 2012, Range Rover Evoque 2019, Porsche 911, Mercedes Benz, and Alfa Romeo.
Other condemned vehicles included a brand-new Hyundai Starex and a used Renault Black Van seized by BOC-Port of Manila in February 2020.
BOC in a statement said the destruction of the vehicles, which arrived in the country from the United States, Belgium, Japan, and South Korea, is a warning to all unscrupulous importers to stop the illegal importation of vehicles.
Importation of all types of used motor vehicles and parts and components, except imports that may be allowed under certain conditions, is banned. This is mandated under Executive Order No. 156, which provides for a comprehensive industrial policy and directions for the Motor Vehicle Development Program and its implementing guidelines.
The customs bureau in previous founding anniversary celebrations also destroyed seized luxury vehicles instead of auctioning them off to deter smugglers from buying the seized cars and selling them in the domestic market.
