Smuggle try of 30 units of iPhone 7 plus foiled

AP FILE PHOTO

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Friday said it has seized P1.35-million worth of undeclared iPhone 7 Plus units at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

Customs personnel stopped a Chinese passenger, Su Miaoquiao, who arrived at Naia on board Xiamen Airlines Flight MF 819, after his baggage showed image irregularity during the x-ray examination.

Upon inspection by the customs examiner in the presence of the customs appraisers and an x-ray inspector from BOC Xray Inspection Project (XIP), authorities found 30 units of undeclared iPhone 7 Plus model #A1660.

“The importation of smartphones is considered legal if the importer declared it as taxable items and can present the proper National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) import permit to the customs authorities,” Maj. Jaybee Raul Cometa, XIP head, said.

In this case, however, Cometa said Su violated Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and the NTC regulation for failure to present the necessary documents and failure to declare the Apple smartphones.

The mobile units are currently at the In-Bond Room at Terminal 1 while the investigation is still pending.