17 ‘hot cars’ confiscated in Talisay garage raid

Authorities confiscated 17 right-hand drive vehicles after they raided a car repair shop in Talisay City last Friday.

Agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG) also arrrested Garry Lapinid, owner of GML Shop on Rabaya Street, barangay San Roque, Talisay City.

Lapinid, however, refused to give a statement about his arrest.

“Di lang ko mohatag og statement, dili unya magkadimao (I won’t give a statement. I might say something which might be to my disadvantage),” said Lapinid, who is detained at the CIDG detention cell pending the filing of charges.

Lapinid was also the broker of another shop raided last year by the CIDG in Lapu-Lapu City.

Lapinid, however, said that he was only the broker and not the owner of the shop.

Chief Insp. Errol Garchitorena of the CIDG, who led the raid, said they moved in after they secured a search warrant from Regional Trial Court Judge Wilfredo Navarro.

Garchitorena said they placed the shop under surveillance for two weeks before asking for a search warrant and raided the place.

The 17 cars were believed to be smuggled. Garchitorena said the confiscated cars are estimated to be worth P3 million.

He said each unit when finally converted into left-hand drive can be sold for about P300,000.

The cars were on the process of being converted to left-hand drive but the steering wheels were still on the right side when the CIDG raided the shop.

Senior Supt. Eddie Benigay, CIDG Regional chief, said Lapinid reportedly called several police officials in a bid to thwart the raid.

Benigay, however, said he would not have entertained these calls from Lapinid’s friends should anyone tried to talk to him.

He, however, didn’t say if indeed there were calls made to any police official.

Last Wednesday, the National Bureau of Investigation also confiscated 10 cars from a Mandaue City car shop.

The cars–10 Honda Fit seized from the JJRS Carmall Sales, owned by Ricardo Samson, were alsobelieved to be smuggled.

Judge Teresita Abarquez-Galanida of the Regional Trial Court branch 66 in Mandaue City issued the search warrant against the car dealer for alleged violation of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines.

In the Talisay raid, tanods from barangay San Roque were present to witness the raid.

Lapinid will be facing charges for violation of R.A. 8506, an act banning the registration and operation of vehicles with right-hand steering wheel in any private or public street, road or highway which be unlawful for any person to import, cause the importation of, register, cause the registration of, use, or operate any vehicle with its steering wheel right-hand side thereof in any highway, street or road, whether private or public or of the national or local government.