Sri Lanka Customs warns the public not to fall for smugglers who bring vehicles into the country illegally as vehicle importation is still strictly prohibited in the country.
The ban on vehicle importation imposed since 2020 is still in effect and
the announcement states that it has been lifted only for certain essential vehicle classes.
Therefore, it is reported that smugglers are trying to clear vehicles brought into the country by various methods after dismantling them abroad and a number of such incidents have been uncovered so far.
An example of this is the seizure of several Mercedes Benz, BMW and hybrid cars that arrived in containers in violation of the regulations of both the Customs Ordinance and the Import and Export Control License in the past few months.
It is a punishable offense to bring in prohibited vehicles or vehicles without declaring them to Customs. Therefore, Customs says that if caught by the smugglers, both the money and the car can be lost.