Hunt on for stolen UK cars

[rooster59]

Hunt on for stolen UK cars

By Piyanuch Tamnukasetchai
The Nation

 

Department of Special Investigation (DSI) deputy chief Pol Lt-Colonel Korrawat Panprapakorn tells a press conference yesterday about progress in the investigation into allegations of import-duty evasion by car importers and dealers.

 

More than forty ‘supercars’ were shipped here for sale; three vehicles found already

 

MORE THAN 40 luxury cars have been stolen from Britain and sent to Thailand, according to Thai and British authorities.

 

Of them, at least three have already been sold to buyers who may not know about the illegal background of the dream cars.

 

Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) launched an investigation to locate the stolen vehicles after being contacted by Britain’s National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service.

 

“By now, we have found that three of the stolen cars have already been sold,” DSI deputy chief Pol Lt-Colonel Korrawat Panprapakorn said yesterday. He said they were two BMW M4s and one Porsche Cayenne.

 

He said six other stolen cars had already been impounded from suspected wrongdoers by authorities. One stolen Porsche Boxster was still parked in the Customs Department’s Duty-Free Zone.

 

“We will try to locate the rest,” he said.

 

British authorities told the DSI that the luxury cars were bought through car loans, with buyers paying just a few instalments before shipping the cars to Thailand and lodging a car-theft complaint in the UK to claim insurance compensations, Korrawat said.

 

The DSI and the Customs Department have now joined forces in investigating allegations of import-duty evasion by car importers and dealers going back five years.

 

DSI chief Pol Colonel Paisit Wongmuang told the press conference yesterday that 160 cars had been impounded after two previous raids.

Raids at nine locations on May 18 resulted in the seizure of 122 luxury vehicles from Niche Car Group showrooms. On May 24, 38 luxury cars were confiscated after raids at six locations.

 

As the vehicle importers allegedly quoted much lower prices, it was estimated that the cars – including brands such as Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and Ferrari – evaded the high customs duty of 300 per cent which could mean the country suffered Bt3 billion in lost revenue.

 

Investigators were still gathering evidence and related documents seized from the importers and dealers to determine if the cars evaded tax.

 

Paisit said the lengthy investigation stemmed from an incident in 2013 when luxury cars caught fire during transportation in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Kalng Dong district.

 

He said the DSI and Customs would work together to determine the unpaid tax amount, the criminal prosecutions that might be involved and the legal proceeding.

 

Customs Department Director-General Kulis Sombatsiri said that the two agencies would join forces to look at car imports to Thailand over the past five years that may be involved in tax evasion and vehicle theft.

 

Korrawat said the DSI had |not determined if any of the importers and dealers had broken the law but would proceed with legal actions against those deemed law violators.

 

Asked why Customs released cars with so-low declared prices out, Kulis said the agency would generally believe and accept the prices as stated in the submitted invoices from importers.

 

He also admitted that some Customs officials were being investigated by the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the result of which would released in September.Kulis said the new Customs Act which was due to come into effect in November, would be helpful in preventing such crime. It would allow goods passing through Thailand to be held for 30 days before going on to a destination country or being taken out and taxed for sale in Thailand – or else it would be confiscated as the country’s assets.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30316441

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-27

[ezzra]

 

It is now become more apparent as to how so many Thais can afford

themselves to own super luxury cars and why you see so many of the top

marquee cars running around the country's roads, as may are stolen and most

if not all paid very little tax on them....

[darksidedog]

And are the cars subsequently going to be returned to the UK, or are they going to find their way back on to the streets here again? I suspect the latter.

[impulse]

59 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Korrawat said the DSI had |not determined if any of the importers and dealers had broken the law but would proceed with legal actions against those deemed law violators.

 

I love the way they always put that in, just to leave room for the brown envelopes.

 

They have these guys dead to rights just on the stolen cars.  But I'd bet we'll be seeing a lot of back pedaling and blame on the foreign devils who cheated them.  

 

We'll see a couple of low level players sentenced to jail.  Then the HiSo dealers will be walking, back in business next month.  And DSI officials' girlfriends will be driving super cars.

 

[Muggi1968]

I choose to be happy that things seem to be improving and not always see things from a negative angle...

[JAG]

The new Customs Act, allowing goods passing through to be seized and sold as the countries assets sounds like a kleptomaniacs wet dream.
I'm jolly glad we have such an incorruptible customs service!

Mind you, could be a useful source of quick cash if, I don't know, payment on a submarine due or something similar?

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

It would allow goods passing through Thailand to be held for 30 days before going on to a destination country

cant see how this could work; new shipping routes would develop

[Tatsujin]

17 minutes ago, Muggi1968 said:

I choose to be happy that things seem to be improving and not always see things from a negative angle...

Then you're failing to see the much bigger picture and seriously failing to understand how things work here.

[Jeremy50]

This is turning into a veritable nest of vipers. I always thought the people driving these things in Thailand look like smarmy lowlifes, now it turns out they are nothing more than a bunch of criminals masquerading as wealthy people who could actually own such a car.               However the full blame rests on successive  Thai governments, I mean; 300% tax, I ask you! 

[impulse]

59 minutes ago, Muggi1968 said:

I choose to be happy that things seem to be improving and not always see things from a negative angle...

 

Getting better, or getting rid of political enemies and competitors?  It "gets better" every time there's a leadership change.  

 

But we eventually find out that it's just the names that changed.  Not the schemes.

 

Edit:  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to believe it's different this time.  But 12 (or is it 16?) coups in, the words "it's different this time" ring just a little bit hollow.  And that's being kind...

 

Edited May 27, 2017 by impulse

[YetAnother]

imagine you bought one of these things, paid cash and the authorities come and take it permanently; better sue the seller 

[Sooo Upto Me]

52 minutes ago, Muggi1968 said:

I choose to be happy that things seem to be improving and not always see things from a negative angle...

In that case you better stay away from this forum. Only doom & gloom on here.

???

[wirat69]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

themselves to own super luxury cars and why you see so many of the top

marquee cars running around the country's roads, as may are stolen and most

One 'e' too many.... maybe you were 'tents' (sic) when you wrote it, but you can mark the marque with motor cars!!!

[Moti24]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

And are the cars subsequently going to be returned to the UK, or are they going to find their way back on to the streets here again? I suspect the latter.

I doubt they will go back to the UK, but the insurance companies might want a say in the matter.

[Matt96]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

It is now become more apparent as to how so many Thais can afford

themselves to own super luxury cars and why you see so many of the top

marquee cars running around the country's roads, as may are stolen and most

if not all paid very little tax on them....

smells like pure envy lol

[Pdaz]

End the high taxes on 'luxury cars' and let the Thai market price reflect the global average and these problems will evaporate. They are only caused by frustration and desire to buy something that is readily available at a reasonable price in other markets. But ridiculously taxed here to 'protect' the Thai car industry - Patently rubbish as it is nothing but a revenue gathering exercise.

[hansnl]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

And are the cars subsequently going to be returned to the UK, or are they going to find their way back on to the streets here again? I suspect the latter.

What do you think?

[Deli]

All this would possibly never have happened, if there wouldn't be such an insane tax policy on imported goods, specially on cars. Which local industry shall be protected with this B.S. tax, as there is no such similar product produced locally ?

[todlad]

1 hour ago, Tatsujin said:

Then you're failing to see the much bigger picture and seriously failing to understand how things work here.

Good try Muggi1968 but you see how the minds of these bar hoppers work!

[impulse]

Eliminate the 300+% taxes, and these problems don't go away.  The list of local people who have enough discretionary money to spend $200,000 on a car isn't much different than the list of local people who have enough money to spend $800,000 on a car.  It just hurts more for the people on the lower rung of those 2 lists that are pretty close to identical.  Whether the list has 1% of the population, or 1.2% only affects 0.2% of the people.

 

Even at 20-30% duties, there will be a temptation to dodge the taxes on a $200,000 vehicle.  

 

And even at 0%, there will always be people eager to scam their insurance companies back home by stealing their own (and others') cars and putting them into a container to resell them overseas.  That's a problem all over the world- more related to lax enforcement than to high duty rates.

 

Edited May 27, 2017 by impulse

[HOAX]

300% tax? No wonder hundreds of stolen luxury cars have entered the country for sale. If the govt sets a 300% tax on beds, you'll start to see people smuggling beds over the border, just like people smuggle cigarettes and alcohol. 300% is ridiculous.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[impulse]

12 minutes ago, HOAX said:

300% tax? No wonder hundreds of stolen luxury cars have entered the country for sale. If the govt sets a 300% tax on beds, you'll start to see people smuggling beds over the border, just like people smuggle cigarettes and alcohol. 300% is ridiculous.

 

To the vast majority of people, who make less than $1000 a month,  the difference between a $200,000 car and a $1,000,000 car is like the difference between a vacation on the moon and a vacation on Saturn.

 

[biggles45]

"Of them, at least three have already been sold to buyers who may not know about the illegal background of the dream cars."

 

Oh really! 

 

[Tatsujin]

45 minutes ago, todlad said:

Good try Muggi1968 but you see how the minds of these bar hoppers work!

Who is the bar hopper? Muggi1968 or me?

 

If it's either one of us, how did you get to "bar hopper" from what was posted?

[smotherb]

3 hours ago, ezzra said:

 

It is now become more apparent as to how so many Thais can afford

themselves to own super luxury cars and why you see so many of the top

marquee cars running around the country's roads, as may are stolen and most

if not all paid very little tax on them....

Never seen many cars on structures over the entrance to a building, but I guess anything is possible. Certainly smuggled cars which have escaped proper taxation cannot be a new concept; especially here.

 

I wonder if this is another example of more quality Brits in Thailand or can just anyone get a luxury car loan in the UK? More perplexing is how the Brit authorities did not catch expensive cars being shipped to a high import tax country and still have outstanding loans in the UK.

[todlad]

12 minutes ago, Tatsujin said:

Who is the bar hopper? Muggi1968 or me?

 

If it's either one of us, how did you get to "bar hopper" from what was posted?

Of course it's not Muggi1968.

 

How did I conclude that you must be a bar hopper? Read what you said, think about it, realise it was not the smartest thing you could have said! You said "Then you're failing to see the much bigger picture and seriously failing to understand how things work here"

 

The bigger picture

failing to see

how things work here

 

It's just TV speak for I heard someone saying that, I'll repeat it. You might have anecdotal evidence for some cases that you could use to gainsay what I am saying; but sustained, deep and detailed evidence? I doubt that very much.

 

 

[smotherb]

2 hours ago, Tatsujin said:

Then you're failing to see the much bigger picture and seriously failing to understand how things work here.

Just here? It seems the Brit authorities have to be somewhat involved, does it not? 

[smotherb]

2 hours ago, Jeremy50 said:

This is turning into a veritable nest of vipers. I always thought the people driving these things in Thailand look like smarmy lowlifes, now it turns out they are nothing more than a bunch of criminals masquerading as wealthy people who could actually own such a car.               However the full blame rests on successive  Thai governments, I mean; 300% tax, I ask you! 

You see no Brit involvement?

[smotherb]

1 hour ago, hansnl said:

What do you think?

Hasn't he already told you what he thinks?

[hEaDy]

2 hours ago, Muggi1968 said:

I choose to be happy that things seem to be improving and not always see things from a negative angle...

Me too! But don't bother regarding the spiel from most of the monkeys on TV; they crave negativity