Car smuggling uncovered by FBI a smokescreen for arms trade?

By LEONARD D. POSTRADO

May 5, 2011, 7:15pm

MANILA, Philippines — Luxury car dealer Allan Bigcas – the man who was first reported being hunted down for alleged smuggling of hot cars, including the high end motorcycle of a Hollywood writer, from the United States – has been keeping the United States government anxious for five years now.

The cars, however, were the least on the minds of members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and United States Homeland Security (USHS). The two US agencies had been tracking down a seemingly dangerous trade that could somehow become a threat to the national security of the world: Weapons trade.

Based on the report of Orion Services, Inc. (OSI), the investigative and security consulting firm in the country that Hollywood writer Skip Woods tapped to find his missing Chopper (a type of motorcycle), the US had been tracking down for several years now as it was reported that the high-powered firearms in the US were secretly being shipped by a so-called “Latino” group to the country.

“The luxury cars that were seized from the house of Bigcas were just icing on the cake. What FBI and US Homeland Security (USHS) were after is the weapons trade that Bigcas is allegedly engaged in,” the OSI Agent handling the case, who refused to be named for security reasons, told the Manila Bulletin.

“There had been reports that weapons were being smuggled out of the US soil to the Philippines and were being sold to Muslim clans in Mindanao. The US Homeland Security had also received reports that the arms were also being sold to secessionists in the region,” he added.

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Magtanggol Gatdula confirmed the bureau received the same report from both US agencies. He said he even personally went to Cagayan de Oro to spearhead the investigation.

The NBI, the USHS, FBI and OSI are now racing against time to track down Bigcas, whom they say will be vital for their operation that may prevent acts of terrorism in the future.

Forwarding business to weapons dealer

Before he allegedly entered in a smuggling business, Bigcas reportedly opened in a forwarding-shipping company in Houston, Texas, United States, which he called ALBIGs – a company name derived from combining his real name.

“He was used to delivering goods and gained lots of connections in the United States, particularly with several notorious gangs, like a mafia version of the Latinos,” the OSI agent said.

Due to his alleged connections with gangs, the OSI agent said Bigcas reportedly left his job and soon engaged himself in underground business, particularly in illegal shipping of armaments and hot cars that were stolen in the US.

In the country, he also opened his own buy-and-sell store which, according to the OSI agent, sells vehicles from the United States.

“It was in the report that alleged smuggling of hot cars is only secondary to the weapons trade he is engaged in,” he said.

Using his company, the source said in an interview that Bigcas ships the alleged smuggled vehicles to the country via a Texas-Singapore-Cagayan de Oro route with the help of several government officials from the Bureau of

Customs (BoC), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG).

“He was an influence peddler. Bigcas bragged that it will be difficult for him to get caught as he had ‘padrinos’ from the Customs and LTO,” he said.

What authorities didn't know was that Bigcas stored several powerful arms inside the vehicles as Customs and LTO officials do not bother to check the goods he was shipping.

“For five years, the FBI and USHS had been trying to catch him but because of the people he knows and the right government official to talk to, he was able to slip in and out of the country,” he said.

If not for Facebook

Last year, Hollywood writer Woods reported to Houston Police that his $80,000 Martin Bros. Chopper had been stolen by car thieves. US authorities immediately fanned a search throughout the US with hopes of recovering the writer's motorcycle.

Woods, like any other victim, traced the bike theft to the so-called “Latino" gang that ships expensive American-made motorcycles like Harleys and his Martin Bros. to Asia via Mexico and Los Angeles, the OSI agent said.

The report that Wood's chopper was in the Philippines was bolstered after seeing the picture of his motorcycle in the Facebook profile of Bigcas. It was from there that Woods sought the service of OSI to recover the missing chopper.

“Woods easily identified his motorcycle because every Chopper has its unique feature that no one altered. It was then that he hired us to track down his chopper,” the OSI agent said.

Orion Services coordinated with Houston PD, the CDO Police, the NBI, and also the US embassy.

In the report submitted to NBI Regional Operation Services Deputy Director Victor Bessat, Agent Wenceslao Gonzalez said the PNP received on April 25, 2011, a report from the FBI about the ongoing illegal and selling of high-caliber firearms and vehicles. The report was confirmed by Supt. Graciano Mijares, Misamis Oriental Police director.

The FBI sought the help of the NBI in acquiring a search warrant and for a possible operation inside properties of Bigcas.

On April 28, a court in Misamis Oriental issued a search warrant, prompting NBI agents to swoop down on the possible areas where Bigcas hid the hot cars.

Cagayan de Oro raid

Last Tuesday, NBI agents stormed the house of Bigcas in Bukidnon and seized at least 22 hot vehicles from the United States that were smuggled into the country through the port of Cagayan de Oro.

Bessat told reporters in an interview that NBI agents raided the house of Bigcas on Santiago Street in Barangay Poblacion Talakag, Bukidnon, at around 3:30 p.m. and discovered the smuggled luxury vehicles believed to be in the FBI’s list of hot cars.

Bessat said the cars were reportedly stolen from Houston, Texas.

Seized were 13 big bikes, a Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer, two Yamaha motorcycles, two Honda CRF, a Suzuki GSX 1000 cc, a red RZR Ranger, and two all-terrain vehicles.

NBI agents also recovered an M-16 rifle with 16 live bullets inside the house of Bigcas.

The NBI agents, however, failed to catch Bigcas.

Bessat said some of the vehicles are now kept at the Police Provincial headquarters in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, while some were taken to the NBI Regional Office in Cagayan de Oro.

The Black Book

But apart from the stolen vehicles, joint operatives of the NBI, FBI, Houston Police, OSI, and USHS retrieved from the house of Bigcas a black book listing the vehicles and firearms sold.

He said that some of the names listed in the black book were those of powerful Muslim clans in the region. He refused to give details.

“The black book was a proof needed FBI and USHS that there had been on-going arms trade in the region which the US government feared the most,” he said.

The OSI agent said the black book also serves as a manual showing details on how to steal and transport the vehicles from US to Cagayan de Oro.

Gatdula also refused to divulge any information about the black book, saying they need to verify the data.

On the hunt for Bigcas

In the latest development, joint operatives of the NBI, FBI, USHS, the Philippine National Police and Houston Police Department are now tracking the whereabouts of the group’s kingpin.

The latest report they received was that Bigcas was allegedly hiding with a certain Dimaporo clan.

“They are attempting to find people with high government positions to intercede,” according to the OSI agent.

On the other hand, the joint national and international agencies recovered more high-powered ammunitions and hot cars like several customized Beowulf .50 caliber assault rifle and a stolen Dodge charger from Texas.

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

Source: Manila Bulletin