The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Batangas apprehended on August 27 an estimated P64.4 million worth of misdeclared cigarettes from China.
The shipment arrived at the Batangas port from Guangdong, China on August 20, 2020 and was issued an alert order on August 24 based on derogatory information received by the customs bureau.
Two 40-footer containers were declared to contain plastic cabinets but were revealed during physical inspection to contain 1,631 master boxes of Mighty and Marvel brand cigarettes.
BOC Batangas acting district collector Atty. Rhea M. Gregorio recommended the issuance of a warrant of seizure and detention against the shipment in violation of Section 1400 (Misdeclaration, Misclassification, and Undervaluation in Goods Declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (Property Subject Seizure and Forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
