The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on May 11 destroyed illicit cigarettes worth P109.150 million seized from 2018 to March 2020.
The cigarettes were contained in 2,183 master cases and destroyed by water dousing and crushing using a payloader, BOC said in a statement.
Led by BOC’s Enforcement and Security Service, the activity was witnessed by Customs commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, BOC deputy commissioners, and Japan Tobacco International chief executive officer John Freda.
Just recently, BOC Port of Manila seized cigarettes worth P34.7 million misdeclared as furniture and blinds shipped from China to Manila South Harbor.
The shipments, which contained Two Moon brand cigarettes, arrived last April 27 and May 1, 2020 and were consigned to Vierport International Co. and Anikas Will Industry Corp.
In 2019 alone, BOC seized P20.58 billion worth of smuggled goods, of which P2.67 billion were cigarettes and tobacco products.
READ: BOC confiscates more than P20B worth of smuggled goods in 2019
Photo courtesy of BOC
