--- title: "Feds Seize 1996 Nissan R33 Skyline From South Carolina Importer" description: "Someone's JDM dreams are about to get crushed." date: "2017-05-17" modified: "2017-05-17" authors: - name: "Kyle Cheromcha" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/10346/feds-seize-1996-nissan-r33-skyline-from-south-carolina-importer" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Nissan News" tags: - "Crime" - "import" - "JDM" - "Nissan" - "r33" - "Skyline" - "smuggling" --- # Feds Seize 1996 Nissan R33 Skyline From South Carolina Importer ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* As we inch closer to the end of the decade, there's a growing number of amazing, foreign-market cars from the 1990s that are aging out of this country's 25-year import restriction. Everything from a rally-ready Ford Escort RS Cosworth to a [BMW E34 M5 wagon]() are no longer cast in pure unobtanium for Americans with enough scratch to bring them over. Still not on the list—the Nissan R33 Skyline. That sure doesn't stop people from trying, though. *The Post and Courier* out of South Carolina reports that [federal agents seized a 1996 Nissan R33 Skyline]() bound for North Charleston import shop [All JDM Motors LLC]() after a random inspection at the Port of Charleston uncovered the car hidden in a cargo container. Bubble-wrapped and packed away amidst a bunch of loose engines and transmissions, this Skyline was no half-assembled shell—the engine started right up "without any issues" after agents found the key and jumped the battery. It looks to be a set of doors and wheels away from being road-ready. That doesn't square with the way All JDM Motors reportedly listed the car on their shipping documents, claiming it was a "used breakdown car" worth a little over $800. Say what you will about the wisdom of our country's import laws (I'll start: [they're]() pretty nonsensical), but it's never a great idea to lie on an official customs form, and the feds are also accusing the company of undervaluing the batch of parts that came along with the Skyline by over $100,000. ![message-editor%2F1495033403510-skyline2inline.png]() **U.S. Attorney's Office via Post and Courier** Unfortunately, the R33 is likely [headed to the crusher](), and the troubles might not end there for the importer—*The Post and Courier* adds that the government believes they [may have previously smuggled]() in at least the front half of another Skyline using the same trick. All JDM Motors could not be reached for comment. ## Author Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()