The Customs Department and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) have asked Hong Kong authorities to seize two luxury cars smuggled out of Thailand despite them being impounded.
Customs Department director-general Kulit Sombasiri said a black Mercedes-Benz GLE305 D AMG and a white Nissan GTR, which went missing from Laem Chabang port on May 22, were Hong Kong-bound and efforts are under way to have them confiscated and shipped back.
Mr Kulit said the luxury vehicles were impounded when they were found to have been stolen in Britain and smuggled to Thailand. An investigation is under way to find out how the cars were shipped to Hong Kong.
According to the department chief, the Mercedes-Benz arrived by ship on Oct 5 last year while the Nissan was transported by plane in February this year. Both were imported by Master Autopart and Services Co and stored at the company's customs free zone.
Britain's National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service contacted the DSI to track down the cars, he said.
Kitti Sutthisampan, director of the customs office in Laem Chabang, said both cars in question were moved from the free trade zone and loaded on a ship at Laem Chabang port.
He said the company connected to these two vehicles usually imports cars for local distribution and only these two cars were destined for a third port.
According to the DSI, the two are among 42 luxury cars allegedly stolen in Britain and smuggled to Thailand.
Mr Kulit, meanwhile, said the department's probe into falsely declaring vehicles to avoid tax is still ongoing and tax evaluations for 32 cars have been completed and sent to the DSI, which recently asked to investigate and evaluate tariffs on another 300 vehicles.
The Customs Department chief said the department is amending guidelines for price evaluation of cars and expects to finish them in the middle of this month. After that the department will ask for public comments on the revisions.
According to Mr Kulit, the department will also conduct a study and ask for public comments on the 328% tax collected on wholly built units after concerned parties claimed the rate was exorbitant.