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The Bureau of Customs confiscated P53 million worth of smuggled pharmaceutical products and other undeclared goods at the Manila International Container Port
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Shipment originated from China and was falsely declared as containing only 1,144 pet cages
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A spot check uncovered undeclared medicines, triggering a full 100% physical examination
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336 boxes of pharmaceutical products worth P33.367 million were found, all without required permits from the Food and Drug Administration
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406 boxes of other undeclared goods worth P19.692 million were also seized, including electronics, cosmetics, automotive parts, hardware, and accessories
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) confiscated P53 million worth of smuggled pharmaceutical products and other undeclared goods at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) on April 7.
The shipment, which listed 1,144 pet cages on its goods declaration, drew scrutiny after a routine spot check by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service–MICP turned up concealed medicines.
Investigators immediately recommended a full physical examination of the entire consignment.
What the examination revealed was far more extensive. Authorities pulled out 336 boxes of pharmaceutical products valued at P33.367 million, the single largest component of the seizure, none of which carried the required permits from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
An additional 406 boxes of mixed merchandise worth P19.692 million were also recovered, comprising electronics, cosmetics, automotive parts, hardware, and various accessories.
The BOC said the findings constitute violations of Section 1400, on misdeclaration in goods declaration, in relation to Section 1113 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, as well as Republic Act No. 9711, or the FDA Act of 2009.
“Our sustained intelligence and enforcement operations are driven by our commitment to safeguarding public safety and advancing the welfare of the nation. We will not allow illicit trade to undermine the safety of our people or the integrity of our economy,” Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said as quoted in a media release.
He issued a warning in Filipino to would-be smugglers, saying those who will conduct such illegal activities will be made accountable.
MICP district collector Felipe Geoffrey De Vera echoed that posture, pledging that the port would sustain its heightened border vigilance in support of the commissioner’s enforcement campaign.
Also on hand during the inspection were Atty. Franklin Anthony Tabaquin IV, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Deputy Director General for Field Regulatory Operations of the FDA, and representatives from pharmaceutical firm UNILAB Inc.
The BOC said it would press forward with intelligence-driven operations aimed at curbing smuggling, protecting public health, and upholding fair trade standards nationwide.
