Top customs official linked to illegally imported vehicles?

Despite the undue pressure exerted by a top official in the Department of Sri Lanka Customs, a group of officers have succeeded in uncovering information regarding a stock of vehicles imported to the country while evading taxes.

The vehicle parts had arrived at the Colombo Harbour inside a 40ft container on the 18th of March, 2016. 

Customs officers yesterday (7) opened the container to examine the contents and found a BMW Z3, Mitsubishi Intercooler Pajero, Isuzu Crane Truck, Komatsu Excavator, Morris Mini Minor and a Honda motorcycle. 

Most of the vehicles had been divided into parts of two or more before being stored inside the container, with the intention of reassembling them after being cleared by customs.

Customs sources revealed that the contents of the container had been registered as vehicle spare parts with the intention of evading taxes.  

 A retired Additional Director General of Customs has been identified as one of the suspects behind importing the container while a high-ranking official currently serving in the Department had allegedly aided them, sources said. 

A group of customs officers had managed to uncover information regarding the racket after preventing the container from being released by customs and opened it, despite the pressure exerted by the aforementioned official.