DSI seizes 38 more supercars

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has seized 38 more luxury cars in its latest series of raids carried out at six locations suspected to be part of an import-car tax evasion network. DSI director-general Paisit Wongmuang yesterday announced details of the raids, saying the operations were launched on Wednesday when the DSI successfully sought search warrants from the court. The makes of the cars were Maserati, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, McLaren and Ferrari, said Pol Col Paisit. DSI investigators are investigating to see how the cars were imported and sold at much lower than market prices, he said. The six locations raided were a showroom in Laksi district, a Maserati showroom at Siam Paragon, a Rolls-Royce showroom at Siam Paragon, an Aston Martin showroom at Siam Paragon, a showroom in Wang Thonglang district, and a BMW showroom in Bang Kholaem district as well as a Rolls-Royce showroom in the same area of the building. Aside from the 38 cars, the DSI also seized for inspection documents pertaining to car imports of the businesses raided on Wednesday, said Pol Col Paisit. Last week, the DSI raided nine locations in Bangkok and Samut Prakan including Niche Cars Group, a company that imports and sells luxury vehicles, in Suan Luang district, he said. At that time, a total of 122 luxury cars were seized for inspection in an investigation into an import car tax evasion case that is believed to have cost the country at least 2.4 billion baht in lost tax revenues, he said. Each of the seized cars caused a tax revenue loss of between 10 million and 18 million baht as their import prices were found to be falsely declared at 40% less than the actual prices, he said. The DSI said yesterday it was preparing to investigate some 10,000 imported supercars as the agency widens it crackdown on the tax avoidance network following a lengthy inspection and probe into a trailer truck transporting suspected tax evading luxury cars which was engulfed in a fire in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district in May, 2013.