‘Reduce them to scrap metal’: Philippine authorities crush luxury cars to deter smugglers
Normally, seized smuggled vehicles are impounded and then auctioned with the government taking the proceeds
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte watched bulldozers flatten dozens of sports cars and other luxury vehicles pm Tuesday as part of a drive to fight corruption at the country’s customs bureau.
A Jaguar, a Lexus, a Corvette Stingray, and dozens of top-end German sedans and Japanese SUVs were crushed at a customs yard in the capital Manila. The vehicles were seized after they were smuggled in, authorities said.
A total of 30 vehicles worth a combined 61.6 million pesos (US$1.2 million) were scrapped in Manila and two other cities on Duterte’s orders.
The president has made fighting corruption and illegal drugs the cornerstones of his six-year term.
“Reduce them to scrap metal,” Duterte said in a speech to customs employees after the event.
