Hundreds of vehicles imported with altered odometers, police and customs allege

Hundreds of vehicles with “clocked” odometers have allegedly been imported from Japan in recent years.

Hundreds of vehicles with “clocked” odometers have been imported from Japan in recent years, police and customs officials say.

Details of an alleged crime syndicate, with members in New Zealand and Japan, have been revealed by a civil court case taken by police as they sought to locate the keys for dozens of impounded commercial vehicles.

Customs began a criminal investigation in April last year after being approached by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) about imported vehicles that appeared to have incorrect records.

The investigation identified an Auckland company that had allegedly been importing the vehicles to be sold in New Zealand.

After a search of a home and a business last year, Customs said it had identified 133 used vehicles imported since 2020 that had “understated odometer readings and other false information”.

Vehicles imported from Japan require an export certificate from Japanese authorities.

Customs said comparison of the Japanese export certificates and documentation when they were brought into New Zealand identified “discrepancies” with the odometer records and years of manufacture.

There were no safety concerns about the vehicles, but buyers in New Zealand had been duped into buying older vehicles than they thought they were getting.

NZTA has contacted the affected buyers directly.

The police civil action in the High Court at Auckland alleged the syndicate imported 303 vehicles between March 2020 and March 2024.

At least 252 of those vehicles were identified as having altered odometers and forged export certificates, the court was told.

The civil action was taken against three people and two Auckland-based companies.

Police went to court while trying to locate a missing, unregistered Nissan Atlas light truck and 41 missing ignition keys for other vehicles, which they had already seized.

The outcome of that search was not immediately known.

When asked for further information, police referred inquiries to customs, which they said was leading the criminal prosecution.

Customs referred NZME to the information it released last year and declined to comment further while the case was before the courts.

However, it confirmed that one of the men named in the civil action, and one of the companies, was also involved in the criminal case.

The man faces two charges of importing prohibited goods, eight charges of forgery, and eight charges of dishonestly using a document.

A trial has been scheduled for October next year.

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.