20 'hot' cars from US seized in Bukidnon

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Authorities are now investigating how more than 20 luxury vehicles that were stolen in the US found their way to a warehouse in the hinterlands of Talakag, Bukidnon.

What began as a search for a vehicle reportedly owned by a Hollywood writer that was stolen in Houston, Texas led to the discovery of more than 20 luxury vehicles and several high-end motorcycles yesterday.

“It is really a big question how these vehicles reached the hinterland of Talakag. Of course, they did not fly nor did they travel by land or swam their way to Talakag. That is what investigators are looking into. They are tracing how the stolen vehicles reached Bukidnon,” said Northern Mindanao regional police director Chief Superintendent Conrad Laza.

Laza said a joint team from the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bukidnon provincial police office, in coordination with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation led by agent James Windsor, initially sought a warrant from a local court to search a warehouse in Cagayan de Oro City.

The raid at the warehouse led the authorities to search the residence of Allan Bigcas in Poblacion, Talakag yesterday.

Authorities, however, did not say whether Bigcas was taken into custody during the raid but said he was a known luxury car dealer in Northern Mindanao.

Laza said the luxury vehicles were still inside container vans when they were seized by the lawmen.

Northern Mindanao Customs Collector Anju Castigador denied having known any such shipment of luxury vehicles that passed through the ports in Cagayan de Oro City.

“We do not know anything about such shipment. These vehicles might have entered the country through other nearby ports,” he said.

Among the seized vehicles were Chevrolet, Corvette, Tahoe pick-up, Sequoia SUV and Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Laza said the seized vehicles are now in the police provincial headquarters in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

Laza said authorities are tracing how the vehicles reached Talakag on the possibility that other stolen vehicles were also brought there. – With Sandy Araneta