Customs Department Crushed Bt40 Million Ferrari

[macduff]

Check this out

[kpeanut]

Isn't the point simply that the smugglers are now trying to game the system.

Illegally import the car. Strip out several key expensive parts and hide them (probably before the car was smuggled in), fully expecting Customs to auction the car, which, because of the missing parts, would go for a relative song.

At this point they'd have a legit car, and would have paid a lot less than the proper import duty, and once the missing parts are replaced, one worth a lot more than they paid for it. (And customs would never get 40m for a Ferrari that doesn't run.)

Personally, customs did the right thing. In the short term, this will lose customs the income from the sale of one car. But in the longer term, maybe the smugglers will think twice before trying it again, and assuming it was smuggled in for a specific customer, he may well be thinking now that it would have been better to buy one legally. (And any other potential customers for the smugglers may be thinking the same.)

For those suggesting customs fix the car before selling it, if you heard that customs officials were ordering Ferrari parts from Modena, wouldn't you assume something corrupt was happening? This way, they send out a message.

Why does destroying the car deter them any more than taking it away from the importer and selling it? either way the original importer no longer has it, the only downside is that there is a baht loss for the government, 20 million baht buys a lot of medicine, clean water and food or educational supplies.

its all about the big customs guy flexing his muscles, look at me on the TV "wtat"

[samran]

who were they suppose to sell the car to? The people who were buying were likely to be part of the racket.

[londonthai]

public, well publicised auction

[Tony Clifton]

The more I look at it, the more I think this was a disguised public "destruction of evidence" to save someone's a s s.

[Plus]

public, well publicised auction

That's what they usually do. Apparently no one shows up with 20 mil but the original importers (and I think the cars were preordered). They are not second hand pickup trucks exactly.

Losing 20 mil is a serious deterrent.