As many as 6,969 vehicles had been imported even after the imposition of an import ban in June 2020, said Customs director Seevali Arukgoda.
They included 3,809 cars and other vehicles, 2,971 cargo carrier lorries and trucks and 189 ambulances and special vehicles.
Of them, 4,348 vehicles had been imported in 2021, the worst year for the economy with a serious dollar shortage.
Arukgoda said all these imports had taken place as per the law.
The Customs earned Rs. 187 billion in 2018 from vehicle import taxes, which is 23 per cent of its total income for the year.
This year, that figure dropped to 1.5 pc due to the import ban, Arukgoda added.
