Re: Rather it wasn't destroyed.
They seldom are
It happens often enough in the US for illegal imports - cars imported in violation of the "Chicken Tax" (a protectionist scheme to keep newer foreign cars out of the US market). You can find articles and videos on various car-enthusiast websites such as Jalopnik.
And it is a waste. If they have to seize the cars (regardless of how stupid the governing statute is), fine. They're nearly always vehicles of interest to enthusiasts, so auction them off to enthusiasts outside the US. They'll probably sell at very low prices (as we see with police vehicle auctions now), but as long as the buyer pays for shipping, who cares?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
