9 luxury cars seized in Thai police raid

[Sviss Geez]

How do you smuggle a car into Thailand?? and where would you smuggle it from, I mean where is the nearest tax free zone where you can purchase these cars? I am honestly curious.

They were smuggled in from Malaysia, there's a better report in the Bangkok Post.

[impulse]

What is the problem here?The cars got plates,So they are registered in someone's name,,They will have an address,,,Just Go get the Police/Army and apprehend them,if they can't/will do that then they must be involved then go to PM

I can point you to any of a dozen shops near Chinatown where they'll make you a set of plates for less than $50. Right out in the open.

I'm sure there are some legitimate reasons, but I can guess- a few thousand baht and I could be driving a Diplomatic limo from The Republic of Narnia. With plates to prove it.

Edited December 25, 2014 by impulse

[Sviss Geez]

The officer did not explain why the department had no registration details of the vehicles even though they all had red licence plates

Police have been silent over both cases.

I am impressed to see that the journalist asked the police an uncomfortable question. That's a good start, baby steps and all that.

What is the problem here?The cars got plates,So they are registered in someone's name,,They will have an address,,,Just Go get the Police/Army and apprehend them,if they can't/will do that then they must be involved then go to PM

They have red plates but are not registered and there are no registration papers, that is what the police are investigating if you read all the reports. That's what the problem is.

[gemini81]

The other day I was offered by a Thai guy I know a Mercedes Benz for sale that was

brought into the country as parts and professionally assembled here so well thatone can tell the different between a bona fide car and the assembled one...

Really. ..

.speaks volumes about the company you keep...

Beware. ..if you lie down with dogs , you will get up with fleas.

Happy Christmas.

No, common knowledge referring to the 'gray' market that was well documented a few years back. People will always find loopholes. These car owners were also well-connected one can imagine.

[mango66]

if the RTP will not find the owner,

the " finder " will get position of them !!

But i fear for some higher ranking finder,

this modells dont suit their status !!

[Sviss Geez]

How do you smuggle a car into Thailand?? and where would you smuggle it from, I mean where is the nearest tax free zone where you can purchase these cars? I am honestly curious.

There's a "Bonded" warehouse zone at Laem Chabang port, where a Thai company can import, say a left hand drive luxury car, convert it to right hand drive, and then it theoretically gets exported to Malaysia or Australia etc with no Thai import duties, as it, again theoretically, doesn't leave the bonded area.

I'd imagine a few slip thru there.

Bonded warehouses are not engineering workshops where the incredibly complicated, and expensive, task of converting a modern LHD car to RHD can be done. That just doesn't happen.

Edited December 25, 2014 by Sviss Geez

[Phatcharanan]

The other day I was offered by a Thai guy I know a Mercedes Benz for sale that was

brought into the country as parts and professionally assembled here so well that

one can tell the different between a bona fide car and the assembled one...

Presumable the 'bona fide' car was 3D printed.

[NanLaew]

How do you smuggle a car into Thailand?? and where would you smuggle it from, I mean where is the nearest tax free zone where you can purchase these cars? I am honestly curious.

There's a "Bonded" warehouse zone at Laem Chabang port, where a Thai company can import, say a left hand drive luxury car, convert it to right hand drive, and then it theoretically gets exported to Malaysia or Australia etc with no Thai import duties, as it, again theoretically, doesn't leave the bonded area.

I'd imagine a few slip thru there.

Bonded warehouses are not engineering workshops where the incredibly complicated, and expensive, task of converting a modern LHD car to RHD can be done. That just doesn't happen.

Correct. But you are talking purely about a bonded warehouse.

jaywalker is talking about the bonded warehouse ZONE. There's a whole lot of shops legally fabricating all sorts of stuff solely for export that are located inside these zones. This being Thailand, it would not be too much of a stretch for some illegal trade taking place inside these zones. That DOES happen.

[Sviss Geez]

There's just SO much irony in this. The Crime Suppression Division people are maybe, just maybe NOT the right people to point fingers at other people's crimes... Just look at the latest findings of stashed cash in the houses of the highest ranking people in that same division...

Thailand, the land of IRONY....

This charade will not end in Thailand in the forseeable future...

That was the CIB, not the CSD.

[jakobvarming]

There's just SO much irony in this. The Crime Suppression Division people are maybe, just maybe NOT the right people to point fingers at other people's crimes... Just look at the latest findings of stashed cash in the houses of the highest ranking people in that same division...

Thailand, the land of IRONY....

This charade will not end in Thailand in the forseeable future...

That was the CIB, not the CSD.

Allow me to quote the headline:

BANGKOK: -- NINE LUXURY cars worth more than Bt20 million in total were seized from two Bangkok homes in raids led by the Crime Suppression Division on Tuesday, acting CSD chief Pol Maj-General Akkaradet Pimolsri announced yesterday.

[Sviss Geez]

The other day I was offered by a Thai guy I know a Mercedes Benz for sale that was

brought into the country as parts and professionally assembled here so well thatone can tell the different between a bona fide car and the assembled one...

Really. ..

.speaks volumes about the company you keep...

Beware. ..if you lie down with dogs , you will get up with fleas.

Happy Christmas.

There's nothing wrong in importing cars to be professionally assembled, legally, here, that's what this is all about, re-assembled cars attract less tax than fully assembled imports.

I assume ezzra meant to say that one cannot "tell the different between a bona fide car and the assembled one..."?

[Anthony5]

There's just SO much irony in this. The Crime Suppression Division people are maybe, just maybe NOT the right people to point fingers at other people's crimes... Just look at the latest findings of stashed cash in the houses of the highest ranking people in that same division...

Thailand, the land of IRONY....

This charade will not end in Thailand in the forseeable future...

That was the CIB, not the CSD.

Allow me to quote the headline:

BANGKOK: -- NINE LUXURY cars worth more than Bt20 million in total were seized from two Bangkok homes in raids led by the Crime Suppression Division on Tuesday, acting CSD chief Pol Maj-General Akkaradet Pimolsri announced yesterday.

That you have quoted nicely boy. Now look here

A woman accused of having a hand in the intimidation racket allegedly led by former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Lt-General Pongpat Chayaphan turned herself in at the Khlong Luang Police Station in Pathum Thani yesterday, a police source said.

[alocacoc]

The cars are not longer illegal.

[outsider]

Of course the 'police have been silent over both cases'. What did you expect - complete transparency, accountability and professionalism?

[Sviss Geez]

There's just SO much irony in this. The Crime Suppression Division people are maybe, just maybe NOT the right people to point fingers at other people's crimes... Just look at the latest findings of stashed cash in the houses of the highest ranking people in that same division...

Thailand, the land of IRONY....

This charade will not end in Thailand in the forseeable future...

That was the CIB, not the CSD.

Allow me to quote the headline:

BANGKOK: -- NINE LUXURY cars worth more than Bt20 million in total were seized from two Bangkok homes in raids led by the Crime Suppression Division on Tuesday, acting CSD chief Pol Maj-General Akkaradet Pimolsri announced yesterday.

Quote away by all means but try reading properly, what you referred to was "stashed cash" that was found in the homes of the head of the CIB (Pongpat), not the CSD, they're not the same.

"The Crime Suppression Division people are maybe, just maybe NOT the right people to point fingers at other people's crimes... Just look at the latest findings of stashed cash in the houses of the highest ranking people in that same division..."

[jakobvarming]

There's just SO much irony in this. The Crime Suppression Division people are maybe, just maybe NOT the right people to point fingers at other people's crimes... Just look at the latest findings of stashed cash in the houses of the highest ranking people in that same division...

Thailand, the land of IRONY....

This charade will not end in Thailand in the forseeable future...

That was the CIB, not the CSD.

Allow me to quote the headline:

BANGKOK: -- NINE LUXURY cars worth more than Bt20 million in total were seized from two Bangkok homes in raids led by the Crime Suppression Division on Tuesday, acting CSD chief Pol Maj-General Akkaradet Pimolsri announced yesterday.

That you have quoted nicely boy. Now look here

A woman accused of having a hand in the intimidation racket allegedly led by former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Lt-General Pongpat Chayaphan turned herself in at the Khlong Luang Police Station in Pathum Thani yesterday, a police source said.

But you managed to make a bit of a fool of yourself, boy... let me quote again what I wrote:

"The Crime Suppression Division people are maybe, just maybe NOT the right people to point fingers at other people's crimes"

The key hint is WHO did the investigation, NOT who did the crime in this case? I'll leave it up to you to figure out why you got it all topsy-turvy!

[Anthony5]

There's just SO much irony in this. The Crime Suppression Division people are maybe, just maybe NOT the right people to point fingers at other people's crimes... Just look at the latest findings of stashed cash in the houses of the highest ranking people in that same division...

Thailand, the land of IRONY....

This charade will not end in Thailand in the forseeable future...

Allow me to quote the headline:

BANGKOK: -- NINE LUXURY cars worth more than Bt20 million in total were seized from two Bangkok homes in raids led by the Crime Suppression Division on Tuesday, acting CSD chief Pol Maj-General Akkaradet Pimolsri announced yesterday.

That you have quoted nicely boy. Now look here

A woman accused of having a hand in the intimidation racket allegedly led by former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Lt-General Pongpat Chayaphan turned herself in at the Khlong Luang Police Station in Pathum Thani yesterday, a police source said.

But you managed to make a bit of a fool of yourself, boy... let me quote again what I wrote:

"The Crime Suppression Division people are maybe, just maybe NOT the right people to point fingers at other people's crimes"

The key hint is WHO did the investigation, NOT who did the crime in this case? I'll leave it up to you to figure out why you got it all topsy-turvy!

How convenient that you now forget half of what you actually wrote.

I help you out of your memory loss with reminding you of the second part of what you wrote.

Just look at the latest findings of stashed cash in the houses of the highest ranking people in that same division..."

You can't be that of a <snip> that you don't know that CIB and CSD ar two completely separate divisions.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Jai Dee
personal insult deleted

[Phuketboy]

If the country didn't try and rip people off with massive over pricing of anything decent in the way of cars then people wouldn't have to smuggle them.

[richusa]

Easy to get cars, motorcycles in/out of Thailand. The Russians have been doing it for years. Banglamung port area is full of bribes and criminals.

[fritzzz25]

I am wondering if they came from this.... http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/757769-hundreds-of-supercars-missing-thai-customs/

[richusa]

No pointing? Must be photo shopped... LOL

[In Search of Space]

The officer did not explain why the department had no registration details of the vehicles even though they all had red licence plates

Police have been silent over both cases.

I am impressed to see that the journalist asked the police an uncomfortable question. That's a good start, baby steps and all that.

Silent on just two casas ?

[8OA8]

What is the problem here?The cars got plates,So they are registered in someone's name,,They will have an address,,,Just Go get the Police/Army and apprehend them,if they can't/will do that then they must be involved then go to PM

I can point you to any of a dozen shops near Chinatown where they'll make you a set of plates for less than $50. Right out in the open.

I'm sure there are some legitimate reasons, but I can guess- a few thousand baht and I could be driving a Diplomatic limo from The Republic of Narnia. With plates to prove it.

A few year's ago I took delivery of a brand new car that I'd paid the extra for it to be manufactured in Germany. Bought here in Bangkok from an authorised main dealer, the red plates were on it until the proper registration number was supplied six months later. During the waiting period, which went on until about six month's, I was driving the car on these red plates. All sounds correct so far, however one of my friends kids remarks to me that my plates are illegal, what are you talking about kid, of course they are legal. What does an 8 yr old kid know? Well he explained that the Registration department seal that is stamped onto the plate isn't on your plates. On returning home I checked another vehicle that I had with red plates and sure enough there's a stamp on their red plates. I called the German car showroom the next day and ask the salesman what is the score with fake red plates, he then explained that as the registration number I had requested wasn't going to be issued any time soon, I was therefore being given the fake plates, as each garage has to apply for and pay for these plates and having 1 set out for 6 months would be a killer for the garage if they didn't give out the fake plates. I was also guaranteed that I wouldn't ever have a problem and I never did get any enquiries, other than that 8 yr old kid. I think his mother was a judge or something similar in the Thai legal system and he must have been listening very carefully at some dinner time discussion.

Btw, there are no legal temporary red plates for motorcycles. Being told this I had the dealership issue an official letter which I only once had to produce and show the special traffic police, during a period of the bike covering 9,000+ kms

[JungleBoy2]

Since the Import Tax is soooo high, people found "another" way around the Tax.

Doubt if there is anything known a a "Duty Free" shipping Zone into Thailand.

[Bakeman]

Me think 9 Police just got 9 cars to drive. This is Thailand

My sentiments exactly.

[Keesters]

Akkaradet did not say whether anybody was in the premises during the raids.

But was he asked by the journalists?

[jonw8uk]

The officer did not explain why the department had no registration details of the vehicles even though they all had red licence plates

Police have been silent over both cases.

I am impressed to see that the journalist asked the police an uncomfortable question. That's a good start, baby steps and all that.

What is the problem here?The cars got plates,So they are registered in someone's name,,They will have an address,,,Just Go get the Police/Army and apprehend them,if they can't/will do that then they must be involved then go to PM

How hard do you imagine it is to get some fake plates made here..?!

[jonw8uk]

What is the problem here?The cars got plates,So they are registered in someone's name,,They will have an address,,,Just Go get the Police/Army and apprehend them,if they can't/will do that then they must be involved then go to PM

I can point you to any of a dozen shops near Chinatown where they'll make you a set of plates for less than $50. Right out in the open.

I'm sure there are some legitimate reasons, but I can guess- a few thousand baht and I could be driving a Diplomatic limo from The Republic of Narnia. With plates to prove it.

A few year's ago I took delivery of a brand new car that I'd paid the extra for it to be manufactured in Germany. Bought here in Bangkok from an authorised main dealer, the red plates were on it until the proper registration number was supplied six months later. During the waiting period, which went on until about six month's, I was driving the car on these red plates. All sounds correct so far, however one of my friends kids remarks to me that my plates are illegal, what are you talking about kid, of course they are legal. What does an 8 yr old kid know? Well he explained that the Registration department seal that is stamped onto the plate isn't on your plates. On returning home I checked another vehicle that I had with red plates and sure enough there's a stamp on their red plates. I called the German car showroom the next day and ask the salesman what is the score with fake red plates, he then explained that as the registration number I had requested wasn't going to be issued any time soon, I was therefore being given the fake plates, as each garage has to apply for and pay for these plates and having 1 set out for 6 months would be a killer for the garage if they didn't give out the fake plates. I was also guaranteed that I wouldn't ever have a problem and I never did get any enquiries, other than that 8 yr old kid. I think his mother was a judge or something similar in the Thai legal system and he must have been listening very carefully at some dinner time discussion.

Btw, there are no legal temporary red plates for motorcycles. Being told this I had the dealership issue an official letter which I only once had to produce and show the special traffic police, during a period of the bike covering 9,000+ kms

I got the same fake plates when I bought a car here. Like you I wasnt aware until the highway police informed me after they pulled me at a toll booth, whilst handing me a 1000b fine. The letter given by the dealer meant nothing.

Needless to say the dealer reimbusred my 1000b (eventually, and with more hassle than you'd expect), and had a bit more urgency in getting my real plates through.

[TomYumpoochai]

How do you smuggle a car into Thailand?? and where would you smuggle it from, I mean where is the nearest tax free zone where you can purchase these cars? I am honestly curious.

There's a "Bonded" warehouse zone at Laem Chabang port, where a Thai company can import, say a left hand drive luxury car, convert it to right hand drive, and then it theoretically gets exported to Malaysia or Australia etc with no Thai import duties, as it, again theoretically, doesn't leave the bonded area.

I'd imagine a few slip thru there.

Bonded warehouses are not engineering workshops where the incredibly complicated, and expensive, task of converting a modern LHD car to RHD can be done. That just doesn't happen.

Cos importing the parts needed to switch from left to right is soooooooo impossible, right? It can be done in a day, easily. And they bring a lot of BMW stuff in from japan as the import tax is lower.