Customs seize 21 luxury cars worth RM12.2m

The Royal Malaysian Customs Department has seized 21 non-registered luxury vehicles worth RM12.2 million with suspected forged import documents in separate raids on two warehouses in Shah Alam, Selangor on May 29.

Speaking to reporters in Sepang today, Customs deputy director-general Datuk Azimah Abd Hamid said it was the biggest seizure of luxury cars in the Klang Valley this year, comprising six Lamborghini Huracan, Toyota Velfire (seven), Toyota Estima (four), Mercedes Benz (two), BMW (one) and Toyota Alphard (one).

She said the initial investigation found that the vehicles were documented with false manufacturing date whereas the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Import Licence requirements only allowed for the importation of second-hand cars aged one to five years.

For example, she said the import documents of the six Lamborghini cars declared that they were manufactured in 2012, but a check with the authorised dealer showed that the cars were actually manufactured in 2016.

“The modus operandi of those involved is to reduce the amount of tax they have to pay to the Customs because the older the cars, the lower the tax will be,” she said, adding that two car importers in Shah Alam had been identified as the owners of the 21 vehicles and currently being investigated for alleged document forgery and tax evasion.

- Bernama