The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Cebu foiled another attempt to smuggle cigarettes into the Philippines with the apprehension of 1,092 master cases of Astro brand cigarettes worth an estimated P54.6 million.
The cigarettes consigned to GRR Trading entered the country on August 16 in a 40-foot container declared to contain drawers, tables, cabinets, and lockers.
Information that the container carried cigarettes instead prompted Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS)-Cebu Field Station chief Carlo A. Bautista to recommend the issuance of a pre-lodgement control order (PLCO). BOC Cebu acting district collector Atty. Charlito Martin Mendoza then issued the PLCO on August 17, 2020.
On August 19, officers from BOC’s X-Ray Inspection Project (XIP) detected suspicious images after scanning the container under x-ray. A 100% physical examination was subsequently conducted together with representatives from CIIS, XIP, Enforcement and Security Service, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc.-Cebu Chapter that revealed the contraband.
A warrant of seizure and detention was issued against the shipment on August 20, 2020 for violation of relevant sections of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. The smuggled goods will undergo seizure and forfeiture proceedings.
Last June, BOC Cebu also intercepted a shipment of smuggled Mighty and Marvel brand cigarettes from China consigned to Giomab Trading and misdeclared as oval dish.
