P4.5M smuggled ukay-ukay shipment confiscated in Cebu

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  • A shipment of used clothing from Thailand worth an estimated P4.5 million was seized by the Bureau of Customs on July 15 in Cebu
  • The shipment was issued a pre-lodgment control order upon request of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Cebu based on derogatory information received from the Thai Customs Department
  • A 100% physical examination of the shipment revealed 588 bales and 16 sacks of used clothing, not the household items indicated in the manifest
  • The seized articles, after forfeiture proceedings, will be disposed of according to customs rules and regulations

A shipment of used clothing, locally known as ukay-ukay, from Thailand worth an estimated P4.5 million was seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on July 15 in Cebu.

The shipment was issued a pre-lodgment control order upon request of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Cebu based on derogatory information received by the bureau from the Thai Customs Department. The shipment was then subjected to 100% physical examination, which revealed 588 bales and 16 sacks of used clothing and not the household items indicated in the shipment’s electronic manifest.

A warrant of seizure and detention was immediately issued against the shipment after finding probable cause for violation of Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture) in relation to Section 118 (Prohibited Importation and Exportation) of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and RA 4653, which prohibits the importation of used clothing and rags in commercial quantity to safeguard the health of the people and maintain the dignity of the nation.

“We thank our Thai Customs counterpart for sharing with us their intelligence report on the shipment,” BOC-Cebu district collector Charlito Martin Mendoza said in a statement.

The seized articles, after undergoing forfeiture proceedings, will be disposed of according to customs rules and regulations.