MANILA, Philippines ? The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is seeking the help of the Office of the Solicitor General to keep in its custody the vehicle owned by one of three high-profile drug suspects as part of the evidence by the agency, Director General Dionisio Santiago said Thursday.

Santiago said they asked the help of the OSG after the Muntinlupa City court branch 204 denied PDEA?s motion for reconsideration against returning the black Honda Accord (XPF-551) of Richard Brodett to the suspect?s camp.

Santiago said he has directed the agency?s legal service head Alvaro Lazaro to coordinate with Alberto Agra of the OSG to help the agency maintain custody of the car by appealing and elevating the case to the Court of Appeals.

Santiago said that on July 2009, Brodett?s lawyer filed a motion for the return of non-drug evidence, which sought to have the vehicle returned to his client.

The court granted the petition, to which PDEA filed an objection in August 2009, Santiago said.

Despite their objection, Santiago said that the court still ruled in favor of Brodett and, in an order dated Nov. 4, 2009, told the agency to return the vehicle to him.

On January 18, PDEA?s legal service filed for a motion for reconsideration but was denied, Santiago said.

?However, PDEA, in its humble submission, maintains that the vehicle is covered by Section 20, Article II of R.A. 9165 [Confiscation and Forfeiture of the Proceeds or Instruments of the Unlawful Act, Including the Properties or Proceeds Derived from the Illegal Trafficking of Dangerous Drugs and/or Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals]. In fact, it has been alleged since the filing of the complaint that said vehicle was used by the accused during the time when PDEA agents apprehended him,? Santiago said.

Brodett was on board the vehicle Sept. 19, 2008 when he allegedly handed 60 tablets of ecstasy to another suspect, Jorge Jordana Joseph, in Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa.

Joseph was arrested after allegedly selling the illegal drugs to an undercover PDEA agent. Brodett was later apprehended, along with another alleged accomplice, Joseph Ramirez Tecson. The three are reported to belong to prominent families.

They are detained in different jail facilities across Metro Manila.

The case became known as families of the three, who were later called the ?Alabang Boys,? were accused of allegedly trying to bribe police in exchange for dropping the case against the suspects.