Caption. The equipment used in making fake cigarettes were destroyed by the Bureau of Customs’ Port of Clark on Monday. PHOTO BY TONETTE OREJAS
CLARK FREEPORT — The Bureau of Customs’ Port of Clark on Monday began the destruction of multi-million pesos worth of equipment used in the manufacturing of counterfeit cigarettes in San Simon town in Pampanga province and Guiguinto town in Bulacan province.
Seven cigarette-making machines, a plastic recycling machine, a manual lifter, a generator set, and a generator cooling system have been crushed to pieces using a back hoe.
The BOC seized these on Feb. 19 through a letter of authority and forfeited by District Collector Ruby Alameda last on 26.
They were found at the Global Asiana Park in San Simon and consigned to a certain Kevin Ferrer Esguerra.
Alameda and representatives of the Port Operations Service, the National Tobacco Corp., Commission on Audit, Japan Tobacco Inc., and Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. witnessed the destruction.
Two sets of cigarette manufacturing machines, a set of semi-automatic strapping machine, plastic shredding facility, 145 cigarette master cases, packaging materials, and tax stamps are scheduled for destruction in Guiguinto on Tuesday. Tonette Orejas