The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized a total of P2.2 billion worth of smuggled cigarettes and other related paraphernalia during the Covid-19 induced lockdown.
In his report to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said the bureau seized these items in various ports from May 28 to July 15 as it continues its drive against illicit tobacco trade despite the ongoing pandemic.
The Customs chief also said the recently seized items included an estimated P53 million worth of cigarettes sneaked into the country from China through a suspected new smuggling scheme.
The shipment confiscated last July 12 at the Port of Davao originated from Ningbo, China, and was transported by SITC Container Lines Philippines Inc. (SITC) to the country, he said.
Its consignee Golden Aark Enterprise declared the shipment contained in two 2×40 footer containers as “tissue paper.”
It first entered the country through the subport of the Mindanao Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental, where it was first declared to be containing tissue paper and bound for the Port of Davao.
But when the cargo reached its final destination, the containers of smuggled cigarettes were not included in its inward foreign manifest despite other Customs documents proving the existence of the shipment. After the BOC and Coast Guard boarded the vessel, it was determined that the containers were onboard the vessel and that they were destined for Port of Davao.
This discrepancy, along with information received by the BOC’s Intelligence Group regarding the suspected smuggled items, led Customs officials to seize the shipment at the Port of Davao.
This prompted Guerrero to order the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) to investigate this new modus operandi in smuggling cigarettes into the country.
“Rest assured that the men and women of the Bureau of Customs will remain vigilant and committed in securing our country’s borders against smuggling and other customs fraud,” Guerrero said in his report.
The Customs chief said the accreditation of Golden Aark has already been revoked and appropriate charges will be filed against the firm and its cohorts.
“From said circumstances, there is prima facie evidence that the carrier, SITC Container Lines Philippines Inc., is abetting the consignee in concealing/smuggling the seized contraband in violation of Republic Act [RA] 10863 [Customs Modernization and Tariff Act],” Guerrero added.
On top of intensifying its campaign against smuggling amid the pandemic, the BOC has also been undertaking measures to facilitate and minimize disruption in the movement of critical medical equipment and supplies entering the ports since President Duterte placed the entire country under a state of public health emergency in March.
The BOC has also confiscated P244 million worth of smuggled, unregistered or counterfeit personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other medical supplies since March 25 up to May 31, 2020, as part of its ongoing efforts to stop the illegal importation, storage and hoarding of goods deemed essential to the fight against Covid-19.