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3 seized luxury cars sold for P6.3M at auction
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A Mercedes SLK350 and a Mercedes Benz SLK55, both previously owned, were sold to RMCE Metal Products
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Mopen Trading Corp bought a brand new Mercedes Benz G500
The government earned P6.305 million from the sale of three seized luxury vehicles during a public auction on April 27.
A used Mercedes SLK350 2001 model and a used Mercedes Benz SLK55 2001 edition were both sold to RMCE Metal Products while a brand-new Mercedes Benz G500 was sold to Mopen Trading Corp., the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said in a statement.
The three vehicles were among six forfeited luxury cars auctioned off by BOC in collaboration with the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) and Land Bank of the Philippines.
The other forfeited luxury vehicles included a used Porsche Boxster 2001, used Ferrari Scuderia 430 2008, and used Mercedes Benz E220 2011.
The forfeited vehicles, consigned to JLDFM Consumer Good Trading and Frebel Enterprise, were seized by BOC at the Manila International Container Port and the Port of Manila, respectively.
Upon 100% physical examination, BOC found out the luxury vehicles were undeclared, resulting in their seizure and forfeiture for violation of Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
The public auction was overseen by the Inter-Agency Auction Committee composed of representatives from BOC, BTr, and LBP that was formed in December 2021 to ensure transparency of the process and to promote competition through broad dissemination of auction information.
The inter-agency committee was formed following Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III’s order that luxury vehicles seized by BOC would now be disposed of through public auction to help raise additional funds for the national government’s continuing pandemic response.
BOC previously destroyed seized smuggled luxury vehicles, following orders from President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte had said he preferred destruction to auction to deter smugglers from buying the seized cars and selling them later in the domestic market.
