Mexican Government Auctions Seized Cars From Corrupt Officials, Criminals to Benefit the Poor

Reportedly worth a grand total of around $1.3 million, the collection includes cars that range from relatively pedestrian Jeeps to six-figure Italian exotics. Hitting the auction block is a C7 Chevrolet Corvette, Hummer H3T, Jaguar XK, Shelby F-150, Jeep Wrangler, a large fleet of bulletproof, black Chevy Suburbans, and most notably perhaps, a Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster.

"We invite everyone to take part," said Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. "Everything that is confiscated [from criminals] will be handed back to the communities, above all the country's poor communities." 

Ricardo Rodríguez Vargas, director of the aptly-named Institute to Return Stolen Goods to the People, says the auction is a step in turning around Mexico's "reverse Robin Hood" system in which "things were taken away from the people and given to the corrupt." He adds, "Not anymore. Now, the order is to return these things to the people—who are the legitimate owners —in a quick, clear [and] transparent manner."

The auction will be held at Los Pinos in Mexico City, a former presidential residence building that's recently been repurposed as a public cultural center. What's more, similar auctions pawning off seized luxury homes and jewelry are set to happen sometime in the next several weeks.