Well, they apparently have been illegally imported. The same argument applies. Also, the article states that VIN numbers have been filed and re stamped. So compliance with laws is a legal requirement. Again the same argument applies. The laws should be equally applied to all.
The commonality seems to be with one particular dealership in NC. Wilmington, I believe.
From my link above:
“...Bottom line here on this....if you had your truck TOUCHED by this fellow in NC you are more than likely on the list managed by CBP. Their only way to track you and your truck is via VIN# from his records.
Other than that the only way it can be done is via state maintained DMV records(i.e. search all 1975-1989 Land Rovers) - but this is another herculean feat for interagency cooperation - not that it can’t be done....just difficult and time consuming.
So, bottom line - they are running down every truck touched by this person in NC that they have the records and history on...I said it when the original seizure occurred, and it was brought up numerous times since.
Yes it is a tragedy - and once again - that person should be blacklisted, and held accountable....”
__________________
Except that if the vehicle is stolen, there are potentially two victims (the ‘new’ owner and the person from whom the vehicle was stolen. In that case, returning it to its original owner is the just thing to do.
However, if the only crime was by a car dealer “illegally importing” the vehicle then there is a good chance the person who bought it is the only victim, so seizing the vehicle is perhaps not the most just solution to the problem.
These are no longer "Gray Market" imports but falsifying of a VIN is a big no no. This is not to rile up the FR troops, but their was a famous Hot Rodder that got into a serious flap in the liberal state of which his business resided in, that had to do with VIN's of what his Rod's were supposed to built from.
Tangent to this, eons ago their was bikes that because of the EPA that were unobtainium because they were 2 strokes. However, I'd pull up to a stop light and see a RD-350LC, Suzuki Gamma, or a Yamaha RD500 ( I think that was the 4 cylinder model ) in their full war-paint mode licensed and operating on the roads making that lovely noise they do. No restamping of the ID Tag I'll presume, but they were and are here...