The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is preparing seizure proceedings against a Porsche 918 Spyder owned by actor Derek Ramsay after the vehicle was found to have allegedly entered the country under a different declaration.
Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the agency would issue a warrant of seizure and detention, placing the sports car under formal forfeiture proceedings.
If the process is completed in favor of the government, the vehicle could eventually be auctioned instead of being destroyed or donated, Nepomuceno said.
The BOC said the Porsche was imported in 2021 and had an estimated value of between Php 50 million and Php 100 million at the time.
Records, however, allegedly showed that it was declared as a Porsche Boxster, a model valued at around Php 10 million, resulting in lower duties and taxes.
Customs said possible smuggling complaints were being prepared against the importer, shipper, consignee and the officer who handled the vehicle’s declaration.
Ramsay may still be called to appear in the investigation, although Nepomuceno said the actor claimed he purchased the car in good faith from JWorks and had no knowledge of how it was originally imported.
The sports car had earlier been surrendered to the Land Transportation Office after it was flagged for allegedly using a fake license plate. The LTO said it would separately resolve the plate-related issue.