Stolen British supercars shipped to Thailand in tax scam

At least 38 vehicles were taken from the UK in the scheme, which sought to bypass import taxes of more than 300%.

 

More than 120 supercars were seized as authorities dismantled an elaborate tax avoidance scam in Britain and Thailand.

 

Dozens of luxury vehicles including Lamborghinis, Porsches and BMWs were stolen from British streets as part of the scam.

 

It used a range of complex methods to bypass the hefty taxes levied on supercars imported into Thailand, which usually stand at around 328%.

 

One tactic for avoiding the taxes involved dismantling cars, shipping them from the UK in parts and reassembling them in Thailand.

 

Full story: http://news.sky.com/story/stolen-british-supercars-shipped-to-thailand-in-tax-scam-10923541

 

-- sky NEWS 2017-06-23

Again.... without the  (alleged) full knowledge, backup and cover up of the

boys at the port, not even a fly would have entered the country, so if any

heads should be rolled, they should belong to those who colluded and

enabled this scam to be perpetrated....

With such an elaborate  way to avoid tax be dismanteling then reassembling stolden vehicles it must have been carried out by a bunch of noodle vendors ! the method is as old as the hills !!!!  Naturally noone in a position of authority  would be involved !

Customs, second most corrupt department!

Ive never exported a vehicle from the UK, but surely one cant just stick a car in a container and send it on its way to thailand without tons of paperwork?!?!

 

the article doesnt explain how these cars got through uk customs. 

yeah yeah yeah.  But things like engine numbers, VINs don't go away.  How did those things get past the database searches, checks against the manufacturers, etc.  I know I know, its Thailand

This is old news. This scam has been going on for years and years, usually bringing the parts in by road from Malaysia reassembling them in Thailand. The only difference now is they know where the cars originated from.

3 hours ago, clockman said:

Customs, second most corrupt department!

Ok...who are first on the list.....because customs are part of the RTP?

4 hours ago, Sigma6 said:

Ive never exported a vehicle from the UK, but surely one cant just stick a car in a container and send it on its way to thailand without tons of paperwork?!?!

 

the article doesnt explain how these cars got through uk customs. 

First of all they most likely drive the cars to Europe and eventually to a friendly port in an eastern block country, before they are ever reported stolen.

 

That is because they are bought on finance or from leasing companies, and are not reported stolen until they are long gone out of the UK/EU.

 

Secondly, they don't disassemble them & re-asemble them here. They are shipped whole in containers that are never opened for inspection. Next step

is XYZ supercar company says they assembled them here.

 

Or they ship them in a container that is inspected and declare a very low value, and hence pay a much lower amount of tax on import, and because

they never paid  much (maybe a low down payment and one or two payments) of the (already low) price of the car in the UK, that makes it quite profitable.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Sigma6 said:

Ive never exported a vehicle from the UK, but surely one cant just stick a car in a container and send it on its way to thailand without tons of paperwork?!?!

 

the article doesnt explain how these cars got through uk customs. 

Just stick them in an empty container. The doors are closed, the gantries that load and discharge them cannot weigh them and they generally get a customs free pass through the port when trucked out en mass.

 

worked for several shipping lines and it is so common but nobody was interested in doing anything about it.

 

might need a bit of low level palm greasing but not too difficult to do. 

4 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Ok...who are first on the list.....because customs are part of the RTP?

No, the RTP takes the 1st prize with honours..

 

Customs & Excise come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance and thus being worthy of 2nd place. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Finance_(Thailand)

 

Make me think of the Johnny Cash song "One picece at a time"

The same method was used already 15 years ago by a well known Bangkok motor bike shop, with the word Baron as a part of their name, specialised in selling big bikes. The bikes came mostly from the US, Canada and Japan. A friend of mine bought a Yamaha VMAX from them and drove it for a year. They couldn't  organise a Tabian  rot, so he couldn't  register  it. After a year he had enough, gave  it back and got his money back. And custom officials haven't  been able to figure it out for more than  2 decades? Who they think is gonna  believe that?

14 hours ago, clockman said:

Customs, second most corrupt department!

I challenge that! I nominate the Education Department.

7 hours ago, NoBrainer said:

First of all they most likely drive the cars to Europe and eventually to a friendly port in an eastern block country, before they are ever reported stolen.

 

That is because they are bought on finance or from leasing companies, and are not reported stolen until they are long gone out of the UK/EU.

 

Secondly, they don't disassemble them & re-asemble them here. They are shipped whole in containers that are never opened for inspection. Next step

is XYZ supercar company says they assembled them here.

 

Or they ship them in a container that is inspected and declare a very low value, and hence pay a much lower amount of tax on import, and because

they never paid  much (maybe a low down payment and one or two payments) of the (already low) price of the car in the UK, that makes it quite profitable.

 

 

 

Nailed it. 

 

On another note, are these stolen and subsequently seized cars being repatriated? Seems like Customs is auctioning them off last I heard. And is not a public auction. Private auction by invitation only (i.e. for friends and family).  Only hearsay so don't take it as fact. 

 

Curious to know what the UK finance & insurance companies have to say and if they have any recourse. 

 

E.g. a foreign gov't ministry (or several) dealing in stolen goods. 

perhaps someone can share with me why the import tax is 300%

1 hour ago, YetAnother said:

perhaps someone can share with me why the import tax is 300%

I am assuming your question is rhetorical. 

If not, look at the gov't employees around your district, the material wealth they have accumulated (that you know of) and various schemes they are involved in. All on a pittance of a gov't salary. I will leave it up to you to do the math. 

16 hours ago, Sigma6 said:

Ive never exported a vehicle from the UK, but surely one cant just stick a car in a container and send it on its way to thailand without tons of paperwork?!?!

 

the article doesnt explain how these cars got through uk customs. 

Mate just throw the plates away, stuff it in a container and there it goes.

 

Cars like that are not registered at all and also the UK customs should have seen that the cars were stolen me thinks?

 

Why do cars have serial numbers engraved all over by the way? 

 

Can you believe it? 120 times the same trick and it works every time again.....And the Bangkok jetset buys/drives those things but hey they didn't know the car was stolen so they didn't loose face....

perhaps someone can share with me why the import tax is 300%

Because they can.

21 hours ago, Sigma6 said:

Ive never exported a vehicle from the UK, but surely one cant just stick a car in a container and send it on its way to thailand without tons of paperwork?!?!

 

the article doesnt explain how these cars got through uk customs. 

When did you ever pass through customs on the way out of a country?

3 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

When did you ever pass through customs on the way out of a country?

All exported goods need to pass customs.  Although everything is documented, not every shipment gets a physical check. It's the same upon import of goods. Based on certain risk factors it is decided which shipments will be checked. The question by the other poster onto how this could have lasted so long on the exporting side without customs finding out is a valid one. 

"Tax Avoidance" a "Tax Scam" ... is that what they call it? Buying stolen property, selling stolen goods, is a more apt term.

the pile just keeps getting bigger...

22 hours ago, Sigma6 said:

Ive never exported a vehicle from the UK, but surely one cant just stick a car in a container and send it on its way to thailand without tons of paperwork?!?!

 

the article doesnt explain how these cars got through uk customs. 

Two ways its been done

 

First the investigation was done from the Liverpool end?

 

Buying the cars in the UK

 

This was done on HP or finance then ignoring the finance agreement the bright spark simply shipped the cars not just Lambos via container to this neck of the woods where at a certain port connections put them trough as parts and scrap. Obversely backhanders. Finance company was being paid to a point but that is fraud.

 

The others

 

Nicked to order off the streets of the UK then container loaded quickly with what we call scrap car parts and shipped back to LOL same port same backhanders.

 

Now your going to ask which port?

Laem Chabang is what the docs say in the UK

 

But here is the fact in 20?? on the web the con was highlighted and at least one person behind it named??

 

But he is not here now left about 6 weeks ago

 

Need more? start looking at the GTR racket going on from Japan.

 

now you know.

9 hours ago, YetAnother said:

perhaps someone can share with me why the import tax is 300%

To protect the local car industry and their balance of payments. If a car driven in Thailand is made here, most of the price remains in the country.

Oz had something similar (not as high a rate) which was gradually reduced/removed. Now we don't have a car industry.

6 minutes ago, halloween said:

To protect the local car industry and their balance of payments. If a car driven in Thailand is made here, most of the price remains in the country.

Oz had something similar (not as high a rate) which was gradually reduced/removed. Now we don't have a car industry.

Whilst this is correct, it should be added that there is a very blurred line between the Thai and Japanese (located in Thailand) suppliers of parts to the Thai car assembly industry, Thai politicians or senior figures in the government and the top civil servants crafting and enforcing the legislation. Some politicians are members of families owning car part manufacturers. Some car part manufacturers simply pay off government figures. So there is vested self-interest amongst lawmakers to maintain these heavy import taxes.

 

The result is that not only are imported vehicles ridiculously expensive but Thai-made vehicles also include a premium in the cost for keeping foreign competition out.

 

The loser as ever is the unconnected consumer.

40 minutes ago, wakeupplease said:

Two ways its been done

 

First the investigation was done from the Liverpool end?

 

Buying the cars in the UK

 

This was done on HP or finance then ignoring the finance agreement the bright spark simply shipped the cars not just Lambos via container to this neck of the woods where at a certain port connections put them trough as parts and scrap. Obversely backhanders. Finance company was being paid to a point but that is fraud.

 

The others

 

Nicked to order off the streets of the UK then container loaded quickly with what we call scrap car parts and shipped back to LOL same port same backhanders.

 

Now your going to ask which port?

Laem Chabang is what the docs say in the UK

 

But here is the fact in 20?? on the web the con was highlighted and at least one person behind it named??

 

But he is not here now left about 6 weeks ago

 

Need more? start looking at the GTR racket going on from Japan.

 

now you know.

Seen loads of GTR's for sale online in LoS. A local dealer near where I live has at least 3 or 4 of them. I wonder how many are legit. The ratio of supercars to people who can afford them seems to be quite high here. 

1 hour ago, Gulfsailor said:

All exported goods need to pass customs.  Although everything is documented, not every shipment gets a physical check. It's the same upon import of goods. Based on certain risk factors it is decided which shipments will be checked. The question by the other poster onto how this could have lasted so long on the exporting side without customs finding out is a valid one. 

It was exposed quite some time ago, how these vehicles were 'exported'  from the UK.

 

1. High value vehicle was stolen to order.

 

2. Vehicle immediately replated with a registration from an identical vehicle. 

 

3. Vehicle then driven to one of the ferry ports and taken to the continent by a 'holiday maker' or 'business tripper'.

 

The vehicle had often left the country before the owner even realized it had been stolen.

 

Goods may well be subject to custom's scrutiny, but not people and their possessions when leaving the country. Unless, of course, they have been flagged as a 'person of interest'.

 

I've driven over to the continent many times and no one has ever questioned me about my car.

 

 

11 hours ago, Cadbury said:

I challenge that! I nominate the Education Department.

RTP - they've cost me a conservative 80K this week.

5 hours ago, mikebell said:

RTP - they've cost me a conservative 80K this week.

Sorry to hear that. That is rather a large envelope.

That is why the RTP is No. 1 on the corruption ladder and always will be.

 

We were discussing No. 2/3 positions on the list. The contenders being the Education Department or the Customs Department.