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A joint anti-smuggling operation by the Bureau of Customs, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and Philippine Coast Guard led to the seizure of 23 containers of illicit cigarettes valued at P1.7 in Manila
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The operation conducted on June 22 stemmed from intelligence information provided by the NBI, which the BOC immediately acted upon
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The 23 containers held cigarettes without the required tax stamps
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A 24th container dispatched to a warehouse is still being located
A joint anti-smuggling operation by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) led to the seizure of 23 containers of illicit cigarettes valued at P1.7 billion in Manila.
The operation conducted on June 22 stemmed from intelligence information provided by the NBI, which the BOC immediately acted upon, leading to the joint enforcement operation, the customs bureau said in a statement.
During the operation, authorities accounted for 24 containers: 16 were located at a private shipping facility in Tondo, Manila; four were found aboard landing craft tank (LCT) ASC Bigboy; and four had already been dispatched to various warehouses. Three of the dispatched containers were successfully retrieved, while efforts to locate one remaining container are ongoing. The LCT ASC Bigboy is now in the custody of the PCG.
Some of the brands seized include Modern cigarettes, Dani, Nise Baisha, H&P Aqua Blue, H&P Gold, H&P Red, BRO Red, and D&J Premium.
Initial inspection confirmed that the 23 containers were filled with cigarettes without the required tax stamps, as validated by BIR, with around 29,900 master cases valued at approximately P1.716 billion.
Investigation revealed that the containers were misdeclared as consumer goods and loaded onto LCT ASC Bigboy at Pier 7, a private wharf in Cebu, before being transported to another private wharf in Tondo, Manila under the same operator.
READ: BOC seizes P39M smuggled cigarettes, tobacco at North Harbor
BOC said the findings indicate possible violations of Republic Act (RA) No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, particularly on misdeclaration of goods (Section 1400) and unlawful importation (Section 1401); as well as provisions of RA No. 8424, or the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended, specifically on the possession and removal of excisable goods without payment of excise tax and without the required tax stamps (Sections 263 and 265).
A full inventory and valuation of the seized goods are currently being conducted by the authorities.
Customs commissioner Ariel. Nepomuceno expressed appreciation to the NBI for the timely intelligence information that led to the operation, and to the PCG and BIR for their crucial support during the inspection.
BOC, together with partner agencies, continues its investigation and case build-up to determine liability and pursue appropriate legal action.
READ: BOC, DILG bust illegal cigarette factories in Pampanga
