BOC seizes P31.5B in smuggled goods since Jan

• The Bureau of Customs seized ₱31.5 billion worth of smuggled goods from January

• Counterfeit goods are the most seized contraband, followed by agricultural products such as rice, cigarettes and drugs

• Smuggled agricultural products account for ₱3.3 billion of the total seized value

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized ₱31.5 billion in smuggled goods from January.

The top contraband seized include counterfeit goods (shoes, bags and clothes), followed by agricultural products such as rice, cigarettes and drugs, according to Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service director Verne Enciso in a September 23 forum.

The total value of seized agricultural goods reached ₱3.3 billion this year.

BOC continues to conduct inspections on warehouses suspected of hoarding and storing smuggled rice pursuant to Executive Order No. 39 signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

“The first implemented Letters of Authority (LOAs) that [were] conducted in seven warehouses in the vicinity or in the area of Bulacan, four warehouses were issued warrants of seizure and detention, resulting in the seizure of 236,571 sacks of rice, which [sic] originated from Vietnam, Thailand, and Pakistan,” said Enciso.

Three warehouses were released to the claimants “with [a] total of 135,365 rice originating from Vietnam and Thailand,” he added.

The BOC has uncovered 36,000 rice sacks in Tondo, Manila, and an additional 20,000 rice sacks in Las Piñas City and Bacoor, Cavite.

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The bureau said the claimants were given 15 days to provide proof of payment of taxes and other regulatory duties for the imported rice stored in the facilities.

Enciso noted the agency’s accomplishment goes beyond their regulatory efforts and demonstrates their commitment to combating smuggling in the country while ensuring fair trade for legitimate businesses, particularly in the agriculture sector.