9 illegal cars worth B20m seized

Police have seized nine illegally-imported cars worth more than 20 million baht from two houses in Bangkok’s Watthana district.

The cars, both new and second-hand, were found at two houses, one in Soi Pattanawes 12 on Sukhumvit Road and another in Soi Chareon Jai in Khlong Ton Nua area.

Police searched the places on Tuesday after receiving a tip that many expensive cars believed to have been smuggled from Malaysia were parked there, waiting to be registered as locally-assembled vehicles before being put up for sale, Pol Col Akkaradej Pimolsri, deputy chief of the Crime Suppression Division told a press conference Wednesday.

Among the impounded models were Mercedes-Benz, BMWs, Lexus, Toyota Vellfire and Nissan Fairlady.

Pol Col Akkaradej said police checked with the Land Transport Department and did not find any registration or import documents for the cars. The cars' owners - whose names have not been released due to the on-going investigation - run an import- and second-hand vehicle business.

Some of the cars were emblazoned with an insignia of Office of the Attorney General to try to avoid police examination. An initial investigation found the car owners could be charged with falsifying official documents, Pol Col Akkaradej said.