Dozens of illegally imported luxury cars seized at Turkish customs

ANKARA

Turkish customs security teams seized 49 luxury vehicles valued at 445 million Turkish Liras ($14.5 million), which were brought into the country without proper registration for domestic use, the Trade Ministry has announced.

Vehicles brought from abroad in Türkiye, before being used in the country, must be tracked and registered in traffic documents and the necessary registration procedures must be carried out in order to make tax arrangements for the vehicle. However, tourists entering the country are not subject to these procedures if they stay temporarily for less than 185 days.

In a written statement on Feb. 7, the ministry revealed that these vehicles, attempting to enter the country by falsely portraying themselves as temporarily brought in by tourists, were under investigation.

In the initial operation, vehicles arriving at the Habur Customs Gate from Iraq, purportedly as temporary entries by tourists, were flagged for scrutiny. The examination uncovered attempts by individuals to illicitly bring in these luxury vehicles by falsely presenting themselves as being abroad, attempting to comply with the 185-day requirement, in violation of the relevant regulations.

Customs enforcement teams confiscated two illicit luxury cars during the operation, determining their current market value to be approximately 12.2 million liras.

In another operation, teams conducting investigations through electronic programs identified 47 vehicles whose stay in the country had been illegitimately extended during the initial entry phase or through the passport process.

In connection with the incident, security forces also detained 54 individuals.