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The Bureau of Customs seized an estimated P1 billion worth of unregistered electronic cigarettes and vape products in Navotas City
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Seizure involves 3,174 master boxes of unregistered e-cigarettes, BOC’s largest vape-related confiscation this year
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Products lack the required PS License and Import Commodity Clearance
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Warehouse operators given 15 days to present valid documentation
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized an estimated P1 billion worth of unregistered electronic cigarettes and vape products in Navotas City on March 21, in what the agency described as the largest single confiscation of illicit vape goods this year.
Customs enforcement teams recovered 3,174 master boxes of vape products and related items from a warehouse facility, acting on intelligence developed by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), the agency said in a statement.
Initial findings showed the seized products are unregistered and lack the mandatory Philippine Standard License or Import Commodity Clearance required under Republic Act 11900, the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act. The items are also covered by a Department of Trade and Industry suspension order on certain brands, and are suspected of having been misdeclared upon importation.
Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno framed the operation as a direct response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to tighten border enforcement and shield consumers from unsafe goods.
Warehouse representatives were given 15 days to produce valid documentation proving regulatory compliance. Failure to do so will trigger the formal seizure and forfeiture of the goods, and may result in the filing of appropriate criminal charges, according to the bureau.
The BOC said the confiscated products pose serious health risks to consumers by bypassing mandatory safety checks, proper labeling, and ingredient verification, and reaffirmed that it will not tolerate the proliferation of unregulated vape goods in the domestic market.
READ: BOC confiscates unregistered vape products at Port of Manila
