The Mexican government is set to auction off 82 vehicles seized by police and is promising to invest the money raised in poor communities.
Channel News Asia reports that the auction is scheduled for this Sunday and will include a first-generation Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster, three Porsches, and dozens of armoured trucks. There are also a number of Corvettes, Mercedes-Benzes, and a Ford Mustang Convertible. The registration to participate in the auction is only a little over $5.
While speaking with members of the media, President Andres Manual Lopez Obrador said that the auction will be run by the newly-launched ‘Institute to Return What Has Been Robbed to the People.’
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“Everything that is seized (from criminals) will now be given to communities, especially the country’s poor communities,” the president said.
“They were robbing from the poor and giving it to the corrupt. Not anymore. Now (the president’s) instructions are to give back to the people, the legitimate owners of these resources,” added Ricardo Rodriguez, the man heading up the new institute hosting the auction.
Officials believe at least $1.5 million USD can be raised through the auction of the vehicles.
Money raised will benefit two municipalities in the southern state of Oaxaca which the president says are among the poorest in the country.
In addition to the cars being sold, a separate auction will aim to sell three homes worth at least $7 million with funds raised going to a youth drug rehabilitation program. A third auction is also penciled in to sell jewelry seized from organized crime groups across the country.
