-
One of two smuggled Bugatti sports cars was surrendered to the Bureau of Customs
-
The surrender followed the BOC’s public appeal for information about the two smuggled luxury cars which were spotted on the streets of Pasay, Pasig, Muntinlupa, and Cavite
-
The red Bugatti Chiron was retrieved by the agency’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port on February 9
-
The search for the other Bugatti is ongoing
One of two smuggled Bugatti sports cars was surrendered to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on February 9.
The owner of the red Bugatti Chiron voluntarily surrendered the sports car to the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port.
The surrender followed the BOC’s public appeal for information about the two smuggled luxury cars which were spotted on the streets of Pasay, Pasig, Muntinlupa, and Cavite. The BOC offered cash rewards to informers or whistleblowers in accordance with Section 1512 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and Customs Administrative Order 03-2022.
The cars, valued at around P165 million each without customs duties and taxes, have been under scrutiny since November 2023 after the BOC received information of their presence.
The red Bugatti was handed over to the joint BOC team from a house in Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City, where it was hidden.
According to Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group Juvymax Uy, sharing information publicly made it challenging for the owners to operate the cars freely.
The registered owners are Menguin Zhu (blue Bugatti with plate number NIM 5448) and Thu Thrang Nguyen (red Bugatti Chiron with plate number NIM 5450).
The BOC is still determining the cars’ country of origin and whether they were brand new or secondhand upon importation.
BOC-CIIS Director Verne Enciso said the Bureau asked the Land Transportation Office to investigate how the cars were registered without proper importation documents.
The owner of the Bugatti Chiron will face charges under Section 1400 in relation to Section 1113 of the CMTA.
