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Bureau of Customs officials inspected five containers with smuggled cigarettes and sugar worth P90M
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Three containers were from Hong Kong and two from China
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Seizure and forfeiture proceedings will be conducted against the shipments
Bureau of Customs officials inspected smuggled goods worth P90M on February 17 at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
The physical inspection of five containers with misdeclared and undeclared sugar and cigarettes worth P90,442,850 was led by newly appointed commissioner Bienvenido Rubio along with Intelligence Group deputy commissioner Juvymax Uy and MICP district collector Arnoldo Famor, the agency said in a statement.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-MICP recommended the issuance of alert orders after receiving derogatory information about the shipments—three of which were from Hong Kong and two from China.
The containers arrived between January 5, 2023 and February 12, 2023.
“These contrabands threaten the economy and put Filipino consumers at risk. I’d like to assure everyone that we are equally relentless in our efforts to keep our borders secure from these smuggling activities,” Rubio said.
Uy said the agency had been “actively monitoring” information about shipments that possibly contain smuggled goods in an intensified effort to curb the entry of contraband and illegal products into the country.
“We cannot stress it enough: it is unlawful to bring products into the Philippines without the proper permits. By now, these unscrupulous groups should understand the severity of our non-stop campaign against their illegal activities,” he said.
Seizure and forfeiture proceedings will be conducted against the subject shipments for violation of Section 1113 (Goods Liable for Seizure and Forfeiture) in relation to Section 117 (Regulated Goods) of Republic Act No. 10863 known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, Sugar Regulatory Administration rules and regulations, and National Tobacco Administration rules and regulations.
Likewise, the case records will be immediately referred to the Bureau’s Action Team Against Smugglers (BATAS) for case build-up and filing of corresponding criminal cases against those responsible for the illegal importation of the subject agricultural and tobacco products for violation of Section 1401 (Unlawful Importation) of the CMTA, and the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
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