MANILA, Philippines—Two more possibly stolen vehicles have been shipped to the Philippines, aside from the seized luxury car reportedly stolen in Turkey that found its way to the country, Highway Patrol Group (HPG) spokesman Superintendent Edwin Butacan said Thursday.
Butacan said that a Volvo car and a van were reported to their office Wednesday, which might be similar to the case of the gray 2005 BMW XS owned by a certain Wilson Espares and which was verified to be stolen in Turkey. Butacan gave no further details.
Butacan said the 2005 BMW XS, which was shipped to Manila in November last year, “was not smuggled, it was legitimately imported but was found to be carnapped.”
The HPG discovered that the BMW was carnapped in Turkey when Espares applied for a motor vehicle clearance at the office of HPG Motor Vehicle Clearance Division on May 30, Butacan said.
He said HPG director Chief Superintendent Leonardo A. Espina ordered the verification of status and documents of the car with the Interpol Criminal Data Access Management System before granting the clearance, and it was found to be a stolen car in Turkey that was reported missing since October 28, 2006.
Butacan said the car was driven from Turkey to Saudi Arabia and then to Tartous, Syria, and was shipped to Manila arriving at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) in November 2010.
Espares paid P799,968 for taxes and penalty, Butacan said. However, the MICP later issued a warrant of seizure and detention to check the car’s legality.
The car is now in the custody of the Bureau of Customs, Butacan said.
He said the HPG was coordinating with the Turkish embassy and other organizations regarding the case.