MANILA – A luxury car scandal is unraveling in Pasig City as the Bureau of Customs (BOC) tightened its grip on the Discaya family, seizing 14 high-end vehicles in a raid and warning that at least 28 units are now under scrutiny for possible smuggling.
The high-profile seizure underscores the BOC’s aggressive campaign against luxury car importation anomalies, with Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno confirming that two additional vehicles surfaced during the operation, on top of 12 earlier listed in a court-issued search warrant.
“Ngayon, ang nandoon na po sa ating kustodiya bale 14 na. [Bukod] sa 12 naming in-apply may nadatnan pa kami doon na dalawa,” Nepomuceno told GMA 7’s Unang Balita in a televised interview.
The raid was carried out Tuesday inside the St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corp. compound in Pasig under the authority of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18.
Ten of the targeted vehicles were initially unaccounted for but later surrendered to authorities. Three others—a GMC Yukon Denali and two Lincoln Navigators—remain in service centers but are expected to be turned over to the BOC in the coming days.
The impressive fleet of impounded vehicles included a Rolls Royce Cullinan, Bentley Bentayga, Mercedes Benz G-500, Mercedes AMG G63, Toyota Tundra, Toyota Sequoia, Cadillac Escalade, Toyota LC300 3.3 V6 ZX AT SUV 2024, and a Maserati Levante Modena 2022.
BOC officials are now combing through importation documents to verify the legality of the acquisitions. Nepomuceno said the agency’s investigation will not stop with the 14 units recovered so far.
“Pero hindi po tayo magtatapos diyan. Dahil sila na rin naman ang nagsabi na 28 yun. So at the minimum, 28 yung hahabulin naming. Pero again, hindi rin kami titigil doon dahil baka more than 28 yun,” he declared.
The Discaya family, however, maintained that their cars were legitimately purchased through established dealerships such as Speed Seven Corporation, AutoArt Corporation, and Frebel Import and Export Corporation.
Still, all the recovered luxury cars have been sealed and are now under 24-hour watch by BOC operatives and the Philippine Coast Guard—symbolizing the agency’s determination to go after what could become one of the biggest vehicle smuggling cases in years./PN
