EDITORIAL - Sunrise industry

Does the country have a new, thriving illegal industry? This question has cropped up after a luxury BMW X5 stolen in Turkey turned up late last year at the Manila International Container Port on a ship from Syria. A man from Sta. Rosa, Laguna is claiming the vehicle. Customs authorities are also verifying if a 2009 Volvo from Jordan that was misdeclared and held at the MICP is a hot car.

These reports come on the heels of the discovery in Bukidnon of a luxury motorcycle stolen from a Hollywood director in Texas. The owner of the Bukidnon warehouse, Lynard Allan Bigcas, currently faces charges of illegal importation of 30 luxury vehicles and big bikes. Bigcas, who is savvy enough to operate a luxury vehicle trading business, claimed he did not know he was supposed to pay duties on vehicles brought in from overseas.

One wonders if Bigcas and his warehouse would have been found in idyllic Bukidnon if the Hollywood director had not sought the help of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, which in turn coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation.

Apart from finding stolen vehicles and arresting those directly involved, authorities should also go after public officials and government employees who make the smuggling possible. Like carjacking, smuggling of luxury vehicles cannot be a one-man operation. Vehicles from abroad must pass through Customs and must be registered with the Land Transportation Office before they can be sold or used by the smuggler himself.

In the country’s unguarded shores, such shipments cannot be brought in without attracting the attention of the local coastal community and without the knowledge of local politicians. In container ports, BMWs and customized Harley Davidsons can only escape payment of the required port fees if authorities look the other way. As long as there are people who allow smuggling to happen, the country could become a major destination and international transshipment point for stolen vehicles.