BOC seizes P8.98M worth of smuggled cigarettes, fireworks

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Monday said it had seized P8.98 million worth of misdeclared shipments of  cigarettes and fireworks from China.

The BOC said the misdeclared items were contained in  two 40-foot container vans which arrived at the Port of Manila last month.

One container was consigned to Paragon Platinum International Trading Corp. with office at Binondo, Manila.

Paragon’s shipment, which arrived on Feb. 21, was declared as brackets but authorities found boxes of cigarettes worth P8.2 million.

Another shipment consigned to Power Buster Marketing with office in  Tanza, Cavite, arrived on Dec. 31, 2017.

“Upon inspection, we discovered boxes of fireworks instead of the declaration which is footwear,” Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said. —Tina G. Santos