Taguig shop denies smuggling luxury cars
MANILA, Philippines — The owner of a car shop in Taguig raided by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in February has denied allegations of importing and smuggling luxury vehicles.
In a letter sent to The STAR on March 4, the lawyer of Auto Vault Speed Shop said the company “has never been involved in the importation or sale of motor vehicles.”
“Autovault is a corporation duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is engaged in providing car detailing and maintenance services to its customers,” the letter stated.
The lawyer for Auto Vault said the luxury cars inspected by the BOC are “all privately owned vehicles and mostly purchased from local dealerships.”
“In fact, the conduction plates or stickers are still attached to these vehicles, displaying the name of the dealership from where they were purchased,” Auto Vault’s legal counsel said.
Alvin Enciso, chief of the BOC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, confirmed that Auto Vault provides car detailing and repair services.
But the shop failed to mention that it was also offering parking services for luxury cars for P15,000, Enciso said.
Based on the shop’s website, it offers storage facility equipped with closed-circuit television system for luxury vehicles.
Enciso led the team that raided the shop in Barangay Ususan on Feb. 20.
The BOC found 44 allegedly smuggled cars valued at P900 million during the operation.
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