122 Supercars And Sports Cars Seized In Thailand, Including Cars Stolen In England

More than 122 high-end cars including stolen ones from England were seized as officials in Thailand cracked down on illegal importing of cars.

By Stephen

Published: Friday, June 23, 2017, 19:23 [IST]

Car thefts are nothing new, and at any given moment there is a car being stolen in some part of the world. However, when it comes to exotic cars, theft is not so common, hence it does make headlines. This effect is amplified when the number of stolen supercars increases.

More than 120 exotic cars have since been seized in Thailand, including some identified as stolen from Britain. According to investigators from Thailand, these cars were part of an elaborate scam, as they have uncovered loopholes in the Thai law which have been exploited by dealers and corrupt customs officials.

Stolen Supercars From England Seized in Thailand

Thailand places extraordinarily high taxes on supercars and sports cars, which is most of the time at around 328% of the price of the car. These scams were done to circumvent these taxes and get the expensive cars into the country at a lower price.

Various techniques were used to exploit the loopholes, of course with the help of corrupt officials. Two of the stolen cars were shipped over as parts and then assembled in Thailand, while eight Lamborghini Aventadors were declared on import documents to be the cheaper Lamborghini Gallardo, therefore reducing taxes to the tune of thousands of dollars.

The question to be asked at this point would be whether the Thai customs officials did not actually see the cars or whether they deliberately ignored it? Whatever the answer, it is wrong on their part.

Turns out that, under-declaration of the value of cars was the most used technique to go around the high taxes. The other cars from Britain were shipped to Thailand and then reported stolen while the cars were at sea. This way, the owners used to stop paying the monthly EMI for their cars.

Lamborghinis seem to be the preferred choice for these scams, as, according to Thailand's Department for Special Investigations (DSI), 32 of the 122 seized cars were all Lamborghinis,

The DSI said, around 30 businesses are being investigated, adding that the court case will have to reach its conclusion before the stolen cars can be shipped back to the UK. Since Thailand's Justice system is slow, that might take quite some time.

DriveSpark Thinks!
Thailand's economy has seen a slowdown in recent years, yet its elite class, made up of billionaires appear to be doing just fine, hence these gleaming supercars are still a common sight on the streets of Bangkok.

This case is an example of how over-restrictive laws can cause more serious crimes, however, breaking the law is not the right way to get about it. These cars are bought by the elite, who have to set an example for others to follow.