BOC seizes over P1.17-B suspected smuggled cigarettes in Cebu port

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and other government agencies seized suspected smuggled cigarettes worth over P1.7 billion concealed in 24 containers from Cebu.

The BOC, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) conducted the operation after the NBI provided intelligence information.

The BOC said the cigarettes were misdeclared as consumer goods aboard the vessel ASC BIG BOY at Pier 7, a private port in Cebu, before they were transferred to Manila on the same day, June 19.

READ: DA, other agencies to tackle illicit tobacco trade in summit

“During the operation, authorities accounted for all 24 containers: sixteen (16) were located at a private shipping facility in Tondo, Manila; four (4) were found aboard the vessel ASC BIG BOY; and four (4) had already been dispatched to various warehouses. Three (3) of the dispatched containers were successfully retrieved, with efforts to locate the remaining one (1) container ongoing,” BOC said.

The BOC said that, based on the BIR’s validation, cigarettes from 23 containers lacked the required tax stamps, involving approximately 29,000 master cases worth P1,716,000. BOC spokesperson Atty. Chris Bendijo said the NBI had already requested the closed-circuit television footage of the remaining container.

The cigarettes were reportedly manufactured in China and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, according to BOC Deputy Commissioner PMGen. Emmanuel Luis Licup.

“This is a major operation made possible through the coordination of the Bureau of Customs, Philippine Coast Guard, National Tobacco Administration, and BIR. We can see the good coordination among agencies as we fulfill our roles in fighting criminality and activities like this,” NBI Director Melvin Matibag said in Filipino during the agencies’ inspection of the seized cigarettes on Tuesday.

READ: PCG: P13.4M illegal cigarettes seized in Misamis Oriental

Licup noted that the seized cigarettes will not reach the market, emphasizing the risks they pose to public health.

“Based on the procedure, these will be seized and forfeited in the name of the government, and the last procedure will be the disposal of the cigarettes. Because they are dangerous goods, they will be destroyed,” he said in Filipino.

Bendijo said the condemnation of the goods will be fully recorded from the start to the end of the proceedings.

The BOC said the operation may have violated the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code. The agency added that authorities are currently conducting a full inventory and investigation. /mcm