Customs men looking for owners of hot cars
The Bureau of Customs in Cebu is urging owners of nine confiscated vehicles to come forward to claim them.
Cebu Customs District Collector Lawyer Ronnie Silvestre said a forfeiture hearing is set on Aug. 23.
“The owners should see us and produce documents to prove that these vehicles were legally imported,” he said.
Last Thursday, customs police confiscated nine vehicles from the Sumoda Total Golden Motor Care, a car shop at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City.
Car shop owner Jung Choi Myung, a Korean, did not resist the seizure.
Initial verification with the Customs’ motor vehicle monitoring unit revealed no record of the Korean brand vehicles – four Kia Sorento units, two Hyundai Starex vans, a Hyundai Tucson, a Kia Retona and a Sangyong Korando.
The seized vehicles are now in the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu compound.
According to the Customs police, the company owner failed to present customs documents.
Silvestre issued a warrant of seizure and detention for the vehicles last Thursday for violation of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines.
Silvestre said they were still checking records to establish when the cars arrived in Cebu.
The estimated market value of the seized vehicles is P500,000 each.
