Customs officials thwarted an illegal car import attempt at the Colombo Port yesterday(6), seizing a reconditioned Toyota Prius in full body shell form inside a 40-foot container from Japan.
The container, which arrived in early November, was held by Customs on suspicion and remained unopened until the consignee failed to arrive in time to clear the goods. Authorities then summoned the importer and opened the container to find the illegal items.
Director of Customs RTF, Thilak Suraweera, revealed that in recent months, the Customs team had also seized a Mercedes Benz, a BMW, and several hybrid cars in similar cases, all violating the Customs Ordinance and Import and Export Control regulations. (NewsWire)
