The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized P34.7 million worth of cigarettes misdeclared as furniture and blinds shipped from China to Manila South Harbor in two containers.
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.
The two containers were issued an alert order after BOC Port of Manila received derogatory information from the custom bureau’s Enforcement Group.
On May 8, BOC Port of Manila, together with the Philippine Durg Enforcement Agency, conducted 100% physical examination of the containers revealing the misdeclared contents.
BOC Port of Manila district collector Arsenia Ilagan then ordered the issuance of Warrants of Seizure and Detention against the shipments for violation of Section 1400 (Misdeclaration, Misclassification and Undervaluation in Goods Declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (Property Subject Seizure and Forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
READ: BOC confiscates more than P20B worth of smuggled goods in 2019
Photo courtesy of BOC
