200 luxury smuggled vehicles sold in Turkey to be confiscated

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The hummer on the far right in the photo is one of the luxury vehicles seized. DHA photo

Some 200 luxury vehicles, comprised mostly of 4x4 Hummers, Mustangs and Ferraris from the United States which were illegally brought into Turkey and sold at prices four to five times lower than their original cost, will be confiscated by Istanbul’s Financial Police.

Five such vehicles, including a BMW, Audi and Mustang have already been confiscated, according to daily Akşam.

The confiscation of vehicles is part of a larger operation being carried out by Istanbul’s Financial Police with the help of customs inspectors and tax auditors, according to the source.

The vehicles under investigation were smuggled into Turkey with fake documentation and sold for 50,000 to 70,000 Turkish Liras instead of their original 300,000-400,000 liras price tag.

The Financial Police discovered most of the vehicles had been stolen and are planning to take legal measures against the owners of these vehicles as well as the smugglers.

According to Finance Ministry data, in the past ten years 15,000 luxury vehicles have been imported to Turkey.