THE BUREAU of Customs (BoC) said it intercepted a Chinese shipment of smuggled cigarettes valued at P36.5 million.
The BoC said in a statement yesterday that it seized seven containers from China which were misdeclared as agricultural products and household goods. The cigarettes were also mixed in with fruits and vegetables.
“The actual contents found by the Customs authorities are very different from what was declared. They found inside 947 cartons of More cigarettes and 53 cartons of Marvels cigarettes, 950 boxes of Mighty cigarettes, boxes of apples mixed with onion, apples mixed with boxes of fresh carrots, and bales of (used clothing) mixed with food without Food and Drug Administration permits” Customs Commissioner Isidro S. Lapeña said.
He said that the consignees will have their Customs accreditation revoked, with complaints against them pending.
The consignees were identified as Trixcean Trading, Marid Industrial Marketing, Khalevskies Enterprises, Ashton & Ilyze Trading, and Yohann Rein.
The BoC on April 10 seized shipments of cigarettes carrying Philippine brands from China worth P18.5 million.
Last year, the Finance department discovered that fake Philippine excise tax stamps were being sold on Chinese e-commerce platform Alibaba.
“We will be filing cases against the consignees and brokers for violating Section 1400 (Misdeclaration, Misclassification, Undervaluation in Goods Declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act,” Mr. Lapeña said. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
