Stolen import cars seized on wharf

By CHRIS DANIELS

A shipment of luxury cars suspected of being stolen, repainted and sold as new by Singapore gangsters has been seized on the Auckland waterfront.

The seizure is part of a police operation to shut down what is thought to be an international car-theft ring specialising in luxury cars and four-wheel drives.

Three men have been arrested in Singapore and investigations into the New Zealand connection are continuing.

The Singapore Straits Times reported that police seized 62 cars being prepared for export to New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia.

It said the cars, including BMWs, Mercedes-Benz and Pajeros, were stolen in Malaysia then driven to Singapore, where they were repainted and cleaned and their chassis numbers and licence plates were changed.

New papers were then forged so the cars, most of them two to three years old, could be "legally" sold.

A spokesman for police national headquarters said that he had no information on the case, but details would be released today.

He could not tell the Herald last night whether anyone had been arrested or charged in New Zealand.

Customs service manager Allen Bruford said officers had helped police inspect the shipment of about 10 cars that arrived from Singapore last week.

More than 50 cars that were definitely stolen had been found by customs officers in the past 18 months.

The chairman of the Imported Motor Vehicle Dealers Association, John Nicholls, said he had been working with Customs to stamp out the trade in stolen cars.

This was the first time he had heard of stolen cars being passed off as new.

"A dealer, if he is genuine, would pick it straight away."

Mr Nicholls believed up to 1000 stolen cars might have been sold here in the past 18 months.

Most were stolen in Japan and sent to countries like Dubai, where they were sold, forwarded to Singapore and imported into New Zealand.

Some would have been sold here by dealers, but many would have gone through car fairs or auto trading magazines.

Dealers had been warned twice about imported stolen cars.

"The people who appear to be involved in this have connections in Japan, in Dubai, and I believe they are not registered for GST ... They're just taking the money.

"Government misses out on tax. We miss out on sales because we just can't compete with stolen vehicles.

"Inevitably, we will have some dealers who can't resist the bargain."