MANILA, Philippines - A Mindanao-based car importer accused of smuggling luxury vehicles into the country is also suspected of being involved in illegal weapons trade, authorities said on Thursday.

Authorities are now searching for Lynard Allan Bigcas after 25 expensive vehicles were seized from his properties in Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro.

The vehicles include a motorcycle that was stolen from a Hollywood scriptwriter.

During their raid in Cagayan de Oro, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents recovered a "black book" that listed clients from influential political clans in Mindanao that have bought high-powered firearms from the United States.

The weapons include .50-caliber rifles and M4 assault rifles that could fall in the hands of terrorists, investigators said.

A senior security consultant of Orion Support Inc. said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Ssecurity are now trying to identify the other players in the smuggling syndicate amid Washington's increased attention on terror threats.

Investigators had also discovered that 2 of the smuggled vehicles found in Bigcas' properties - a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV and a motorbike - were stolen in the U.S.

The NBI has traced the ownership of one of the vehicles to Hollywood writer Skip Woods, whose credits include "X-Men Origins: Wolverine, "Die Hard 5," and "A-Team."

Woods hired Orion Support Inc. to track down his custom-made Martin Brothers chopper, which is worth around US$80,000 or more than P3 million.

Local officials are now coordinating with the FBI so that the stolen vehicles can be returned to their owners.

Authorities still don't know how the vehicles were smuggled into the country.

"We have no record. We have no report that [the vehicles] passed through the Mindanao Port Control Terminal, Ozamis, Iligan and Cagayan de Oro," said Marvin Mison, deputy collector of the Bureau of Customs in Region 10.

"We have to check the port of disembarkation. Kasi wala namang direct voyage to Cagayan de Oro from the United States. So there's a possibility that these hot cars arrived in another country," said Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez.

Bigcas is a known importer of vehicles and likes expensive motorcycles.

He has even appeared on a local ABS-CBN program in Cagayan de Oro to show his motorcycle-riding skills.

Text messages have spread claiming that Bigcas has gone into hiding and asked help from the Dimaporo family in Northern Mindanao to facilitate his surrender.

The Dimaporos have denied the rumor, saying they do not know Bigcas. - Reports from Maan Macapagal and Stanley Palisada, ABS-CBN News; Rod Bolivar, ABS-CBN Cagayan de Oro; ANC