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The Mexican government will auction a Lamborghini and other luxury cars , homes and other assets seized from drug traffickers and at least one former politician , officials said on Tuesday, part of a “Robin Hood” program to use millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains to aid the poor .
The first auction will take place today and it will seek bids for dozens of vehicles with a total starting price of around USD $1.5 million , Ricardo Rodríguez , head of the newly created Institute to Return Stolen Goods to the People , said at a news conference.
“Before, this worked like a reverse Robin Hood (...) taking from the people and giving to the corrupt . Not anymore,” Rodriguez said.
The proceeds will go to two municipalities in the southern state of Oaxaca , some of the poorest in the country. The vehicles up for auction include Porsches, Corvettes, Mercedes-Benzes, a Mustang convertible, and a 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago, among others.
The auction will take place at the former official residence, known as Los Pinos . The Mexican government will auction 82 vehicles in total and hopes to obtain at least MXN $26,964,583. Among the most expensive vehicles are:
1. 2007 Lamborghini Murciélago – MXN $1,472,000
2. 2013 armored Chevrolet Suburban – MXN $1,116,000
3. 2016 Ford Shelby F-150 – MXN $1,216,800
4. 2009 armored Mercedes-Benz S600 – MXN $963,000
5. 2015 armored Chevrolet Tahoe – MXN $708, 300
6. 2016 Chevrolet Corvette – MXN $618,200
7. Volkswagen, last edition – MXN $30,000
8. 1951 Volkswagen - MXN $253,000
And although the last two vehicles are not the most expensive on the list, they represent a great opportunity for collectors .
Moreover, there will be more interesting cars at the government auction , for example, the Ford Shelby F-150 pick-up is an especial edition since only 500 units were made.
In general, the vehicle prices range between MXN $10,000 and MXN $1,214,600 .
The auction will also include luxury cars used by officials from the previous administrations, which include armored Suburbans, Mercedes Benzes, BMWs, Audis, Mini Coopers, classic Mustangs, among others.
You can find all the vehicles up for auction here and if you want to attend the auction you can register here .
Since taking office in December, López Obrador has implemented several welfare programs for the poor and the elderly, cut salaries for high-ranking officials and said he is saving public resources by eliminating corruption . He announced plans for a “Robin Hood” institute in April.
Future auctions will seek to sell three homes worth at least USD $7 million , including one with an indoor pool in an upscale Mexico City neighborhood. The money will go towards a youth drug rehabilitation program .
Proceeds from another auction of jewelry seized from organized crime groups will go to communities in the mountains of Guerrero state , where many families struggle to make a living by growing opium poppies.
Nevertheless, not all the assets come from drug lords . Rodríguez said one of the homes up for auction belonged to a former politician .
A 2017 report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) noted that recent studies estimated Mexico lost between 5% and 9% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to corruption every year.
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