20 late model sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks are tonight impounded in the Customs parking lot as part of a fraud investigation. The vehicles were seized over the last 2-weeks, after investigations by the Revenue Intelligence Unit of the Customs Department showed that falsified entries had allegedly been made for them at the Traffic Department. Investigations show that a car dealer of Middle Eastern origin was working in collusion with an employee of the Traffic Department who was falsifying customs entries for the vehicles and then licensing them on the pretext that they paid import and other duties when they had not. The vehicles are believed to have entered the country by land, but not necessarily through recognized points of entry.
Up to this evening all 20 vehicles remained parked behind the main Customs building. 7NEWS attempted to get comment from Comptroller of Customs Gregory Gibson however he relayed to us that he could not comment because the investigation was ongoing and he wouldn't want to embarrass the parties involved. We did however get a look at the 20 vehicles which included 9 Mitsubishi L200 pickup trucks, 4 Monteros, and one Nativa; there were 4 2000 year model Mazda 626s; 2 2003 Toyota Prados, and one 2003 Toyota Hilux pickup.
As far as we have been able to determine, no one has been arrested.
