P5.5-billion smuggled cigarettes, fake items seized in Bulacan

Bureau of Customs (BOC) agents seize P5.5 billion worth of allegedly smuggled cigarettes and copyright-infringing or fake items in different warehouses in Bulacan on Thursday, August 22, 2024. BOC photo

MANILA, Philippines — Some P5.5 billion worth of allegedly smuggled cigarettes and fake items have been confiscated from different warehouses in Bulacan, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Friday.

In an operation on Thursday, Aug. 22, the BOC said government agents seized counterfeit devices, garments, and gadgets with a combined value of P5 billion, and smuggled cigarettes totaling P500 million from 19 warehouses at Green Miles Compound, Sitio Cabatuhan, Camalig in Meycauayan City.

“Our team found suspected smuggled cigarettes and counterfeit items, totaling to around P5.5 billion based on initial estimates. Smuggling in this magnitude is the work of big organizations because of the complexity of the process of storing, hiding, and trickling these to the markets,” Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Director Verne Enciso said in a statement.

According to Enciso, their inspection of the 19 warehouses is supported by a Letter of Authority that representatives of the warehouses acknowledged.

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Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy, meanwhile, emphasized the impact of product smuggling and counterfeiting to the lives of Filipinos.

“Many of the items we found in the warehouses were ordinary devices and gadgets that Filipinos use in their daily lives. Our consumers must be certain of the quality and durability of these products but because these smugglers circumvent the law, we cannot give our buyers the same protection that authorized and legitimate items provide,” he noted.

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“And not only does smuggling makes unsafe products accessible to Filipinos, some of whom are unsuspecting, but they also steal from the economy and prevents us from collecting taxes that could be used for social benefits and the like,” he added.

According to the BOC, the consignors and consignees of the confiscated cigarettes and fake items will be charged in violation of the Republic Act 8291 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law, and the National Tobacco Administration Board Resolution No. 079-2005.

The consignors and consignees of the seized cigarettes and fake items may also face charges for violating provisions of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the BOC added.