Raids in Malabon warehouses yield over P1-B worth of vapes, illegal items

Agents of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) inspect one of Malabon warehouses that yielded illegal imported e-cigarettes or vapes from China on Thursday. (File photo from BOC)

MANILA, Philippines — Raids in several warehouses in Malabon yielded more than P1 billion worth of illegally imported vape and used clothes or ‘ukay ukay.’

The operations were led by Bureau of Customs (BOC) on March 1.

BOC Commissioner Bien Rubio revealed around 20 warehouses along 67 Governor Pascual Street in Potrero were identified as storage facilities for the smuggled products.

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Director Verne Enciso said operatives opened one of the warehouses and they found 8,400 boxes of Flava-branded vapes.

“Containing 100 pieces per box at P550 a piece, the total current market value of the smuggled vapes found was P462 million,” Enciso computed.

“Adding the P520 excise tax that the government must collect for every vape unit, the total aggregate value of the vape products found is P898.8 million,” he pointed out in a statement.

BOC operatives opened 15 more warehouses.

The facilities contained branded and unbranded shoes, hardware supplies, used clothes, unbranded clothes, and household items amounting to about P174 million.

“This brings the total aggregated value of the goods stored in the 16 warehouses inventoried to P1.073 billion,” Enciso said.

For the remaining four warehouses, a Customs examiner will conduct the inventory on Monday (March 4).

All warehouse representatives were given 15 days to produce proof of payment of duties and taxes covering the goods stored and found.

“If they cannot present the proper documents, owners of the goods will face charges for violation of Section 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration), in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of Republic Act Number 10863, known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA),” BOC warned.