The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on November 27 seized P24.2 million worth of used luxury cars and overweight steel products at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña, in a statement, said that the shipments reportedly came from Australia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and China.
The luxury cars were a used 2012 Lamborghini Gallardo consigned to a certain Allan Garcia of Dolores St., Perpetual Subd. Paligui, Apalit, Pampanga; a 2006 Lamborghini Murcielago consigned to Veronica Angeles of 385 Sampaloc, San Rafael, Bulacan; and a white 2005 Ferrari F430 shipped to Mary Joy Aguanta of Blk. 5 Lot 33 Phase 1A, Villa Trinita, Cagayan de Oro.
The luxury cars, processed by customs brokers Christian Lao and Roy Lasdoce, all arrived from UAE last year and in May 2017.
Lapeña said MICP district collector Atty. Ruby Alameda has already issued a warrant of seizure and detention for the cargoes for overstaying in the container yard. Alameda, in a press briefing on November 27, said they did an inventory of all overstaying vehicles in MICP after BOC also seized early this month P107 million worth of luxury vehicles for undervaluation and failure to present the documentary requirement from the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Lapeña, meanwhile, said BOC is doing a review on why most of the luxury vehicles being seized, including previous ones, came from the UAE.
In addition, BOC apprehended a shipment misdeclared as personal effects and household goods and consigned to a certain Dorotea Sadang after x-ray machines showed a vehicle was also inside the container together with the personal effects.
Sadang’s address, according to reports of MICP, was indicated as 158 Andres Bonifacio, Diffun, Quirino.
Meanwhile, two shipments consigned to Hongtaisheng Steel Inc. were seized due to discrepancies in the declared weight.
Lapeña said the misdeclared shipment and the steel shipments were seized due to violation of Section 1400 (misdeclaration, misclassification, undervaluation in goods declaration) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, while the luxury cars were seized “due to overstaying and lack of Authority to Release Imported Goods (ATRIG).”
